San Francisco Nights
by Lashana Inferno
Summary: Sent on the trail of an errant Mazoku by L-Sama, Lashana and Akhor race against time as they try to apprehend the demon. Unfortunately, time is running out, and the only help they have, is a psychopath by the name of Eddie Brock, aka Venom
1. Orders! Mazoku Problems

_Lashana owns herself, Akhor and Tvashtar. That is all._   
  
  
  
  
  


**Lashana. Lashana, wake up. _Lashana!!_**

"Ack!" Limbs askew, the form on the bed bolted upright at the yell, her right hand missing the edge of the bed by mere inches as she tried to catch herself before toppling to the floor with a groan. "Oooh, ow..... Ugh, yes, L-Sama?" 

**You sleep like the dead, girl.**

Lashana grimaced and rubbed at the new bump on her head as she sat up and looked at the Goddess that was standing at the foot of the bed. "Thanks. ....I think," she muttered as she gingerly pulled herself to her feet and rearranged her tank top and shorts. Her Bonded, she noted, was still sleeping. Probably due to the fact that L-Sama was altering the time/space quotient again so that he wouldn't even know they were speaking. "What's up? Besides me?" 

L-Sama studied the Elf calmly as the sorceress moved to get dressed, obviously anticipating why the Goddess was paying her a visit. **I need you to go to San Francisco. There are matters there that must be dealt with.**

"In San Fran?" Surprised, the Elf turned away from rummaging through her closet for an outfit and eyed L-Sama out of the corner of her eye. "Why? What's in San Fran that's got _your_ attention? And _which_ San Fran? There's only, like, an infinite amount of different dimensions to go through." 

**I'm afraid it's my mistake. One of my Mazoku broke through the dimensional barriers, and now he's loose in a city of humans. I'm sure you know of the dimension, however. It's the Marvel dimension of the year nineteen ninety seven. It's around February at the moment, I believe. So dress warmly. As for your target....**The Goddess rose a hand and lightly touched the surface of the mirror that was hanging above the dresser, watching calmly as the surface of it morphed until it was acting as one of her viewing portals, displaying an image of the Mazoku she was sending her Knight after. **I'm afraid he may give you some trouble. He's a shape-shifter you see, and prone to violence and mischief. He craves the pain of others, be it physical or emotional. I don't need to tell you how easy he will be able to sate himself in a city of humans.**

"But if it's the Marvel universe, then why hasn't anyone done anything?" the Elf wondered as she hopped into her comfortable soft leather pants and buttoned a shimmering dark blue blouse on, returning to her closet to pull out a mid-thigh length black leather jacket and a silver scarf. "I mean, things like that don't go unheeded in that universe." 

**Perhaps not in the copy of New York, but in San Francisco.... there is only one who patrols those streets, and he is not the most stable one around.**

Lashana frowned and tapped a fingernail against her chin. "'He'? Uhh.... lesse, Marvel, ninety seven, San Fran...." She trailed off and paled before giving L-Sama a pleading look. "Oh hell no. Not _Venom_." 

**He is one of your favourites.**

"To _read_ about! Not deal with!" 

**You haven't a choice now. Evade him if you wish, it matters not, so long as you find the Mazoku and capture him.** As she spoke, L-Sama held out her hand and gathered golden light to her palm, focusing on the energy for a moment before it solidified into a palm-sized golden amulet decorated with onyx stones. **When you defeat him, merely touch this to him. He will return to a energy state and be absorbed into the amulet.**

"Great," the Elf muttered as she took the amulet from her and slipped it into the inside pocket of her jacket before going to pull on her favourite black leather hiking boots. Planning for the worst, she made sure to grab the gun holster that was hanging from a hook on the wall, pausing to check the thirty-five millimetre magnum before shrugging into said holster. "This might take a bit longer than usual. You know I can't go around using magick where people can see me." 

**I am aware of that. You have five days before I will be forced to cleanse that entire dimension in order to keep the Mazoku from turning humans into it's minions and overtaking the world. **A slight smile spread over the Goddess' lips as she looked upon the one she had chosen as her Avatar. **Do me proud, my Knight.**

"Yes ma'am," Lashana smirked, mock saluting the Goddess as she headed for the door. "One quick morning coffee and I'll be on my way! Just don't 'cleanse that universe without warning me first, kay?" 

L-Sama inclined her head, a full smile now gracing her lips. **Alright. I will give you a warning of three hours. Sufficient?**

"Yup! Thanks!" Waving goodbye, Lashana ducked out of the room and tiptoed down the hallway, very aware that it was only three in the morning as she navigated her way through the hallways and stairs, trying to keep as silent as possible. 

::Mommy?:: 

"Nuts." _Go back to sleep Akhor. I'm on official Avatar business,_ she thought to the small dragon that was telepathically speaking to her, knowing that he would automatically search her mind for a response. Unfortunately, the littlest of the three dragons was also the most stubborn, hence the fact that when she snuck into the kitchen to get herself a cup of coffee, she found the small white dragon perched on the coffee maker, golden eyes bright with interest. _You are not coming with me._

::Aw, why not? What could it hurt?:: he argued as she forgoed the coffee machine in search of the instant coffee. ::You're seriously telling me that having a telepath around would not help you?:: 

She shook her head and glanced at him as she fireballed the mug to warm the coffee then spooned in some of the instant stuff. "Okay, one : your telepathy is limited to a ten block radius. And two: no." 

::Please?:: 

"No." 

::Pleeease?:: 

"No." 

He whimpered and gave her the puppy-dog-eyes treatment, wings drooping theatrically. ::Pleeeeease?:: 

"N--" she paused as she saw what he was doing and mentally kicked herself. "Oh, alright, _fine._ But you have to promise to hide under my jacket! There's no such things as dragons where we're going!" 

::No such thing as dragons?:: Ahkor shook his head sadly and preened his scales. ::Poor people, no wonder they need your help.:: 

That made her laugh, and she couldn't help but grin as she set her mug down and swept the little one into her arms, stroking the spot between his wings lovingly. "Yes, they're very deprived, aren't they, littling?" 

::Very. Scratch a little harder, please.:: A low thrumming rumble resonated from him as he arched against her fingers, eyes heavy-lidded in pleasure as his scales registered the feeling of her nails scratching his back. ::So when do we leave?:: 

"As soon as I finish my coffee," she told him as she cradled him in the crook of her left arm and picked up her mug with her free hand. "Ugh, instant. I hate instant. Bleh." 

Amused, the cat-sized dragon chuckled softly into her thoughts and climbed up to curl around the back of her neck, fanning her with a wing when he discovered that the leather jacket she was wearing was a winter one. ::Aren't you hot?:: 

"Dying," she sighed as she set the mug in the sink and wiped at her forehead with the back of her hand. "But it's winter where we're going." She did up the buttons to the jacket as she spoke, fixing the scarf so that it hid Akhor before she pulled a pair of black sunglasses out of the breast pocket and slipped them on. "Hang tight. We're headin' to San Francisco." 

::Can we sight-see?:: he asked as she opened a golden portal in the middle of the kitchen and walked through it. 

"Only after we're done saving the world." 

::Oh, _joy_.:: 

"Hush you." Golden black light folded in on her as she stepped into the portal, and for a moment it was as if she was standing in limbo before her destination opened up before her, a cold wind washing over her as she strolled out into a deserted section of the Golden Gate park, shivering as she pulled up the collar of her jacket before pushing through a small bit of bushes to step out onto the path. 

She felt Akhor shiver and move closer to her as she walked as rose a hand to pat his head as he shifted to peer through her hair, feeling his warm breath against her cheek as she walked, using her limited knowledge of the city to guide her as she headed for what she hoped was the busy downtown. 

::Which San Francisco are we in?:: Akhor telepathed to her curiously as he turned his golden gaze on the seemingly empty park. Reaching out, he tuned his telepathy to a 'wideband' frequency, blinking in surprise when he sensed only a few birds and squirrels nearby. ::We're alone, by the way.:: 

"It's cold enough for the park to be empty," she replied as she shoved her hands deep into her pockets and squinted up at the bright afternoon sky above them. "And we're in the Marvel universe. Year nineteen ninety seven. A Mazoku got through the barriers that L-Sama put up and is running amok and looking to cause major pain to get it's warm and fuzzies." 

::Lovely. Where do we start looking?:: 

"No clue. But I want to get downtown and onto a rooftop so I can do a little scanning of my own. I only have a week to find this wacko before L-Sama cleanses this universe." 

::Cleanses?:: 

"Think Armageddon." 

::....oh.:: 

"Mm. I'd rather not have to bid farewell to another universe because some idiot Mazoku got loose and tried to raise an army to destroy the world." 

Akhor arched a white brow ridge at that. ::'Another'?:: 

"Don't ask. It was a very bad day." 

::Ah. So, no flying?:: 

She paused for a moment, then stopped walking and seriously gave that some thought, raising a hand to tilt her sunglasses down as she looked at her surroundings, then at the sky. Slowly, a smirk spread over her lips, and after she had replaced her glasses, she gathered her magick to herself and wove her flight spell, chuckling at the wave of approval that Akhor sent to her as she gained altitude, rising above the trees and above the buildings she saw in the distance before levelling out. _Well, where should we go? East or west?_

::Uhh.... west? I don't know! Why are you asking me?:: 

_Because you're the telepathic one, stupid._ Shaking her head, she drew a coin and flipped it into the air, calling heads for east and tails for west. It would have worked better had she actually _caught_ the damned quarter. 

::Is it heads or tails?:: Akhor snickered as she looked down at the far away ground in exasperated dismay. 

"Shut up," she growled as she turned and flew west, raising a bit of her scarf to keep her throat warm as the wind whipped at her, sending her hair flying everywhere. 

::Hehe.:: 

_I thought I told you to shut up,_ she sent to him, unwilling to even try to talk while she was flying in such cold air. She was afraid that if she tried to breath through her mouth that her lungs would automatically freeze solid. _Gods above it's freakin' cold!_

::It's not _that_ bad.:: 

_I'm half-Elf. As in forest Elf. Forest as in no-snow, forest. I'm a summer person. Winter is not something I like having to deal with._ She swung around a bird and glanced down as horns caught her attention, blinking when she saw people staring up at her with cameras flashing. _Of course. A tour bus. Just what I need. Ugh._

Knowing that this stemmed from the fact that she hadn't had her proper morning coffee, and from the universal jet-leg she was going to be going through for the next couple of days since they had left at three in the morning and arrived here at what looked like three in the afternoon. ::Why don't you land somewhere and get a cup of coffee?:: 

She slowed her pace at that suggestion, suddenly aware of how snappish she was starting to become. _Maybe you're right, littling._ Sighing, she dove down and lightly landed on the sidewalk in front of a Starbucks, ignoring the gazes from those around her as she walked in and rummaged around in her pocket for a tenspot as she approached the counter. "Give me a large black, double strong, double sweet." _Blessed caffeine. I'm sorry if I snapped at you, littling. I really didn't mean to._

::I know, and you didn't. Stop worrying so much. We just got here, there's enough time to scout out the city by air before you start the real search,:: Akhor told her in a soothing tone as she accepted her coffee, paid for it, and headed out again, and he felt her wince at all the gazes that were turned on them. 

Sighing, she clutched her coffee and leapt into the air, ignoring more gasps of surprise as she flew up to land on the roof. A quick glance around showed her that she'd only have to worry about pigeons, and she felt relief well up in her as she walked over to the opposite edge of the roof and sat down on the raised edge, feeling Akhor wriggle out form under her coat. "Stay close." 

::I will,:: he assured her as he flew over to the adjacent ledge and peered down at the people below, curiously scanning their minds for any information that might prove useful. ::We should pick up a newspaper.:: 

She sipped at her coffee. "Oh?" 

::Yeah. Lots of surface thoughts about some recent unsolved murders,:: he told her, golden eyes fixed on the crowd below as he shifted through numerous surfaces thoughts. ::I can't get more without really intruding on their minds.:: 

"Well, unsolved murders sure work with what L-Sama told me about the Mazoku," Lashana mused as she took another drink of her coffee and rose to her feet, beginning to pace as she worked out a few ideas. "She said it lives off of pain, emotional and physical, but it's not stupid. It'd know to lay low until it's gotten enough power. So...." 

::So what's an easy food source? Who's easy to kill and not liable to end up on the news until the bodies are found?:: 

She paused and sighed, curling her hands around her mug of coffee to warm her fingers at the sudden chill that overtook her. "Street kids. The homeless. Oh dear gods, it's feeding off the homeless...." she trailed off in silent horror and stalked over to the far edge of the roof that overlooked a newsstand, studying it for a moment before she opened a portal and reached in, snatching a few newspapers and a map of the city before leaving a five dollar bill in their place. "C'mon, Akhor. Let's go find a hotel to crash in while I go over these." 

::Can we get room service?:: he asked hopefully as he flew back to her and curled up under the scarf, his tail wrapping around her throat to anchor himself. ::Can we get fish? Or lobster? Huh? Can we? Can we?:: 

She laughed at his excited tone of voice and rose a hand to stroke his head. "We'll see, littling. We'll see." 

In the end, she chose a small motel near the zoological gardens close to the ocean, preferring it's location than anything she had seen in the heart of the city. Another lure was that it was relatively inexpensive, and had many restaurants nearby, a definite plus considering that she was only planning to use the room when she needed a few hours sleep. It was certainly better than paying a huge price for a room she wouldn't be seeing much of during the week. To Akhor's disappointment, there wasn't any room service, and while she knew it could cost her a small fortune, she had instead let him loose on the small mini bar fridge, letting him gorge on chocolate bars and chips. 

While he was pigging out, she was pouring over newspaper articles and marking the location of each killing on the map that she had unfolded. Her jacket lay thrown haphazardly on the double bed, the sleeves of her blouse rolled up to her elbows while her sunglasses were placed up on her head, keeping her long bangs out of her eyes. Her brow was furrowed as she read through the articles, her gut feelings getting worse and worse the more she read. There was a complete lack of pattern so far, other than the Mazoku was sticking to killing the homeless. But it wasn't staying in any one section of San Francisco, it seemed to be jumping around at random, which made her job of hunting it down much harder. 

_Unless there's a pattern that I just can't see,_ she mused as she rose a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. _This is hopeless, how can I track something that's so erratic?_

Akhor poked his head out of the bag of Doritos he was munching on and shook seasoning off of himself before turning to look at her, sensing her frustration. ::Maybe you should get help,:: he suggested, drawing her tired gaze as he licked his talons clean. ::There's someone that you know could help.:: 

"There's someone that I know would make this so much _harder_," she muttered as she propped her head up on a fist and stared down at the map that was laid out before her. "Besides, I don't even know where to _find_ him. No... my best bet is to patrol the city tonight and hope that I'm in the right place at the right time." 

::It's a big city.:: 

"I know. But I don't think there's anything else I can do," she sighed as she pushed herself to her feet and stretched stiff muscles with a groan. "I'll start at the other killing sites and hope I get lucky." 

::Hope _we_ get lucky,:: he corrected her arching a brow ridge at her pointedly. ::Or don't you think a telepathic dragon would be useful?:: 

"Now don't you start that, littling," she scolded him lightly as she unrolled the long sleeves of her blouse and pulled her jacket on. "You know I appreciate the help you give me. Speaking of which, where the hell are the keys?" 

He chuckled and rose a claw to point at the small table she had been sitting at. ::Under the newspapers.:: 

"Right." A quick search proved that he was right, and as soon as she had closed her fingers around the room key, she took a moment to check her hidden items in the inside pocket of her jacket, then slid her fingers into the breast pocket of the jacket and felt the cool metal of the amulet. "Alright. Let's get this over with. Coming, Akhor?" 

::Of course!:: White wings spread to their full two foot span as he leapt off the bed and flew over to her, delicately landing on her right shoulder before he settled himself along the back of her neck, tail curling around her throat. ::Don't forget your scarf.:: 

She rolled her eyes at his mothering tone but obediently settled the warm material on her shoulders, partially covering the small dragon as she did so. Once she was satisfied that he was well hidden, she turned to regard the empty room, then rose a hand, smiling grimly when a portal snapped open at her fingertips, glowing an eerie golden black as it swirled with light. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for a long nights work, then stepped into the mystical doorway, pulling her sunglasses back down as the glow from it momentarily blinded her. 

::Sunglasses at night, huh? How daring,:: Akhor teased, chuckling when she made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. ::Ah, yes. Very ladylike.:: 

"I have never been accused of being a lady," she muttered in reply as she stepped out onto a rooftop, glancing behind her as the portal snapped shut. That done with, she turned and surveyed where she was, nodding in satisfaction when she walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down at the street signs, glad to see that she was at the intersection she had been hoping for. "Alright, guess it's up to lady luck now. Hang tight, Akhor, I'm taking the high road." 

::Where are we anyway? This isn't downtown, is it?:: 

"Naw, littling. It's the seeder part of town. There was a body discovered here two days ago," she told him as she shoved her sunglasses up onto the top of her head and broke into a full run, jumping to the next roof with ease. "I'm hoping the Mazoku's still around." 

::Oh joy beyond joys,:: he grimaced, poking his head out from under her hair to look at where they were going. ::Um.... since there aren't that many people about, is it okay if I take to the air?:: When she nodded, he happily wriggled his way free of the scarf and vaulted from her shoulder, crooning in pleasure as the wind washed over his extended wings. Having the ability to breathe fire was useful on cold days like these, it meant that he basically had an internal furnace to keep him warm, and he smiled as he took a breath of the cool air, inner lids shuttering down over his eyes as he looked up at the bright moon. _Hmm, it's almost a full moon. I'll have to tell that to Lashana later. Maybe it's important._

Saving that thought for later, he quickly turned on a wingtip and flew above the white haired elf that was leaping from rooftop to rooftop with an agility that was born of many, many hours of training. Keeping up with her was easily done for one with wings, and while he knew to stay close to her in case the Mazoku appeared, he wasn't above going a little bit ahead to take a look around with his superior draconic vision. Not that he was bragging or anything. 

After about two hours of running around without finding even a trace of the Mazoku, however, he was singing a different tune. Wings aching, he alighted on a rooftop ventilation shaft and sighed, looking over at the Elf that skidded to a stop near him and placed her hands on her knees as she gasped for air, her breath fogging in the cold night. ::Don't you think it's time to call it a night?:: 

She shook her head and sent to him instead of trying to talk. _Three muggings stopped and a rapist unconscious.... I'm doing my good deed for the year,_ she thought wryly. _Besides, this place is perfect for it to hide in. Even the cops avoid this area, it can feed unchallenged here._

::Then where is it?:: he countered tiredly, wings and tail drooping as he frowned at her. ::I can't fly around all night, my wings are tired from fighting the wind currents.:: 

"Alright, alright," she sighed, straightening with a groan once she had caught her breath. "Curl up on my shoulder again, littling. One more hour, and I'll call it quits. I promise." 

::I'll hold you to that,:: he warned her as he let her pick him up and deposit him on her right shoulder, waiting until he had settled himself before she walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the alley below. ::What are you thinking?:: 

"Nothing, just testing my link to the Chaos to see if anything's around, but I can't sense anything." 

::Well, L-Sama said it was a shape-shifter. Maybe it can mask itself too.:: 

"Oh there's a happy thought," she muttered sourly, her mood falling another notch as she leapt to the next roof, crouching there as she cocked her head to the side, frowning curiously. Slowly, she rose a hand and tucked her hair behind her right ear, listening intently as she silently rose, concentrating for the slight sound she had heard in mid jump. 

::Crying,:: Akhor whispered in her thoughts. ::Someone's crying.:: 

Nodding in agreement, she turned and dropped down to the street, landing with enough force to crack the cement. She paused there for a moment in case her movement attracted anything, then frowned and tuned into the crying she was registering, turning this way and that until she had a fix on the sound. Fixing her hair so that her ears were hidden again, she walked forward and peered into a dark alley, opening her thoughts to Akhor as he used his superior vision to lead her towards the small form that was curled up against a garbage dumpster. 

"Hello?" she called, on her full guard as she moved deeper into the dim alley, slowing when Akhor relayed that the form was a twelve year old boy. "Hey, are you alright?" 

At the sound of her voice, the kid jumped to his feet and backed away from her, eyes widening when he tripped over a pile of garbage and landed heavily on his butt. "S-stay away from me!" 

"Hey, easy. _Easy._ I'm not gonna hurt you." Keeping her voice low and soothing, she crouched in front of him and held out her right hand. "Need a hand? Oh! You're hurt!" Worried, she leaned forward and reached out to touch the deep gash on his left calf, sending a quick burst of Healing magick into him and watching through the hole in his pant leg as the flesh knitted itself. 

Startled, he froze in place and stared down at his leg in shock, then rose his gaze to the woman again. Dark blue eyes regarded him worriedly from behind bright white bangs, and he couldn't help but feel a little wary of her. "A-are you one of those muties?" 

"Muties? Oh, you mean mutants. Well.... I guess you could think of me that way," she shrugged. _It'll certainly be easier to explain my powers if people think me a mutant._ "I won't hurt you though. Does your leg feel better?" 

"Uh, yeah." He swallowed nervously, slowing becoming aware that she wasn't part of the gang that had been chasing him. "T-thanks." 

"No problem." Smiling warmly, she straightened and held her hand out to him again, easily pulling him to his feet when he slipped his fingers into her grasp. "Well, that's a sight better. But if you don't mind me asking, why were you crying?" 

He frowned and rubbed at his eyes with his right sleeve. "I wasn't crying!" 

She smiled despite herself. "Right. My mistake." 

::Kids,:: Akhor grumbled. 

_Hush._ "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here? It can't be that safe considering the type of people I've knocked unconscious tonight." 

Blinking as that sunk in, he slowly started to relax, though he didn't let his guard down. "You're not from around here, are ya?" 

She grinned. "Is it that obvious?" 

Slim shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Most people don't come here. Even less would care about those of us who live here." 

"I guess I'm one of the special ones then," she mused. "Either way, you gonna answer my question?" 

"I.... was hiding," he admitted finally. "I kinda pissed off one of the gangs and now they're after me." 

"A gang. Oi, kiddo, you've stepped in it this time, haven't you? Does this 'gang' know where you live?" When he shook his head, she sighed and shook her head. "Alright, look. I can't just leave you here, so is there a safe place I can escort you too? I promise that I'll kick the arse of whoever tries to hurt you along the way." 

He stared at her for a moment, then slowly nodded. "O-okay." 

"Good. C'mon," Settling an arm around his shoulders, she guided him out of the alley and into the light of the street, her eyes widening when she looked down at him and discovered that bright green eyes were peering up at her from behind tousled dark brown locks. _He looks so young!_

::From what I can sense from him, he's been on the streets all his life. With his mother. Don't know where she is though,:: Akhor sent, his mindvoice concerned. 

_Right. Thanks._ "So," she said out loud, smiling at the boy pleasantly. "My name's Lashana. You got one or shall I just call you 'kid'?" 

"The name's, Justin," he said proudly, sending her a warning glance as he did so. "And I'm _not_ a kid." 

"My bad!" she grinned, holding up her hands defensively. "So how far is your little safe haven?" 

"Ten blocks. But the gang'll get us before then," he sulked. "They always do." 

Frowning, she looked down at him again and noted a healing bruise on his left cheek. "Is that who hit you?" When he nodded, she narrowed her eyes and grit her fangs together, her hands fisting at her sides as they walked. "If you see them," she growled. "Do me a favour and point them out to me." 

Justin looked up at her for a moment, then lowered his gaze, shivering at the emotion he had seen in her eyes. Now fully convinced that she really wasn't going to hurt him - he had a knack of reading people - he cleared his throat and started telling her about his mother and little brother, seeing her eyes soften as she listened to him, an almost wistful smile on her face. By the time they reached the right building, he felt completely at ease with her, and a little surprised at the safety she readily offered him. 

"Hey, thanks, y'know?" he muttered as she stopped by the main door and checked the area for danger. "I really appreciate this." 

"It was my pleasure," Lashana smiled, taking his right hand in hers and pushing a wad of twenties into his palm. "Here. For you and your family. It's all I have on me right now, but I'll be in town for three or four more days, at the Sunset motel off the highway on Sloan avenue, room twenty-six. If you need anything in the next couple of days, come find me, okay?" 

Eyes wide, he looked from the money she had given him to her. "Yeah! Thanks!" 

"Good, now run," she whispered, sending a glance over her shoulder. "They're here." She turned as she spoke, shifting to the side to shield Justin from view as she cut her gaze across the group of five males that were advancing towards her. "Well, well, well. If it ain't the goon squad. Kinda glad you lot showed up, it's been a slow night." 

The leader of the gang snorted and stepped forward, wielding a piece of piping like a club. "You think we're scared o' you girlie? Get real. _Yer_ the one who's gonna make _our_ night interestin'! Yer a good catch." 

She chuckled darkly and walked forward, letting them encircle her. "This catch has a few tricks you idiots haven't seen yet!" 

::Are you insane?:: Akhor telepathed. ::You can't use your full power on humans. You could kill them!:: 

_Of course I'm not gonna use my full power on them, silly. _Grinning, she rose her hands into the air and closed her eyes, murmuring under her breath. "_Winds of the Corners, breath of Gaia. Gather to my hands and become my strength..._" She opened her eyes as the gang began to close in on her and spread her arms out to either side of her. "_Bomb di wind!_" 

The explosion of air shot outwards in hurricane force, literally picking up the five humans and sending them sprawling across the street. Chuckling, she shook her head and rose a hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes. "Pitiful. Telca's _cat_ is more of a challenge." 

"You want a challenge?" the leader rasped as he climbed to his feet and glared over at her. "I'll give you a challenge!" 

_Doubt it._

::Do tell. Try not to break too many of their bones.:: 

_Ruin all my fun._ As he charged at her, pipe club swinging, she sidestepped, let the Chaos power turn her nails into talons and literally slashed the pipe into five separate parts, smirking at his stunned look before she did a perfect roundhouse kick, slamming her boot into his stomach with enough force to once again introduce him to the opposite side of the street. 

The remaining four, obviously enraged at the take-out of their boss, all charged at once, and she sighed in exasperation at the sight. After all her hours of training by both Duncan and Kenshin, she could easily take them all out without breaking a sweat, which is exactly what she did. As an after-thought however, she turned to the leader and gave him her best evil grin, letting her eyes turn gold, the iris' morphing from circular to elliptical as she growled at him. "That kid and his family are under _my_ protection," she snarled as she stalked towards him, letting her nails turn into talons as she made as if to grab him, delighting in his yelp of fear. "Come after them again, and you'll deal with _me!_" She flared her aura for added measure, then punched him, knocking him out in one blow. "Hehe. That was fun." 

Rolling his eyes, Akhor rose his head from under the scarf and peered down at the unconscious human. ::He's gonna be having nightmares of you for a while.:: 

_Good! Picking on kids, what an asshole._ Grinning, she let her eyes and nails return to their natural appearance, then wove her flight spell and leapt into the air, turning to wave at a gaping Justin before heading for the motel, skimming the rooftops as she went. 

Akhor snorted in amusement at her uplifted mood and wriggled out from under her jacket, choosing to cling to her back with his talons rather than stay hidden in the stuffiness of the scarf as she flew. All things considered, he shared her satisfaction this night. They hadn't found the Mazoku, but saving that kid, Justin, more than made up for it. 

Just as he was entertaining thoughts of coaxing Lashana to get some late-night take-out, the blackness of the night came alive, tearing a roar of surprise from his throat as something slammed into the Elf's side, sending her crashing to a rooftop. Having taken to the air to avoid harm, he now turned on a wing-tip and loosed a belch of flame at the attacker, growling lowly when the light from the fire illuminated the Mazoku they were after. ::Lashana! Get up!:: 

Shaking her muddled thoughts back into order, Lashana staggered to her feet and instinctively dropped into a fighting stance, raising her arms in a solid block just in time to divert a powerful spell away from herself. Light and heat brightened the night as the spell was rebounded away from her, and she quickly used the Mazoku's momentary surprise to her advantage as she attacked with her own spell, her mood plummeting when the demon backhanded a powerful fireball aside as if it was child's play. _This is bad. Very bad._

Another blast of fire drew her gaze to Akhor as he wheeled high above her, and she frowned when the Mazoku dodged the flames, telling her all that she needed to know. _It's immune to magick, but not to physical attacks. Shit._ Growling, she summoned another fireball and sent it at the roof beneath the demon's feet, seeing it's sickly yellow gaze widen in surprise as the ground exploded under it's feet. To _her_ surprise, however, it's form shimmered for a moment, before a black eagle took it's place, long talons aiming for her face as it turned to attack her. 

::_Get down!!_:: 

A white form arrowed down between them, and she paled in horror as the small dragon loosed another belch of fire at the eagle, the two doing a deadly aerial ballet in front of her. "Akhor! No!" With a snarl of rage, she lunged into the fray, pulling her sword from a portal as she attacked, using every ounce of speed that she possessed as the Mazoku transformed into a human with a katana, the two of them trading furious blows before she was knocked aside. 

She twisted in mid-air and landed on her feet, the rooftop's gravel grating under her boots as she crouched and lunged again, putting her full strength into it this time as she and the Mazoku danced, trading sword slashes and quick punches and kicks. It wasn't speed that it possessed the most of, it was strength, and she found that out the hard way as it shoved her backwards, making her stumble as it backhanded her hard enough that it loosened some of her teeth, sending her sprawling. She slammed into the raised edge of the roof and kept going, her breath leaving her in a sharp cry as she landed heavily on the roof of a car, shattering it's windows. The world spun around her, and for a moment she lost full consciousness, only coming back to herself when a light form alighted on her face, warm breath washing over her face as a far away voice echoed in her thoughts. 

::....-shana! _Lashana!_:: 

Groaning, she cracked open an eye and focused on golden eyes, blinking for a moment before recognition hit her. "Akhor...." 

::Oh thank the Gods! You scared me half to death! Are you alright?!:: 

"Peachy. Just freakin' peachy." Growling, she sat up amongst the ruin of the car and looked around, her right hand still fisted around the hilt of her sword. "Where is it?! I want another go!" 

::The Mazoku's gone. Just, poof, gone,:: Akhor told her, wincing as her thoughts turned homicidal for a brief instant before she regained control of her temper. ::Are you sure you're alright?:: 

"I'm fine. Just a little sore," she sighed, raising a hand to hug him to her as she gingerly climbed off the ruined car, limping slightly from the ache in her back. "I think you were right." 

::About what?:: 

"I'm gonna need some help."   
  
  


TBC 


	2. The Best Help We Can Get Is Venom!

_See Chapter 1 for disclaimer_   
  
  
  


Akhor blinked drowsily as the bright light of sunset poured into the room and yawned widely, fangs glinting in the light as he rose his head from the pillow he was curled up on, turning his gaze to Lashana who was sprawled out on her stomach on the bed, her head resting on the pillow next to him as she slept, hair and limbs askew. As far as he could tell, she had been sleeping for almost twelve hours, recovering from the fight with the Mazoku no doubt. 

The Mazoku. Now that was a bit of bad news. Bad enough that it was immune to magicks, but having it _stronger_ than Lashana was going to make their job so much harder. True, she hadn't been ready for the attack, or in her full Avatar form, but it was still bad tidings. And to have her actually _admit_ that she needed help was a very bad sign. _She must have sensed something during the fight. But what?_ Coming up with more questions than answers, he snorted and lay his head down on his foreclaws again, staring at the sleeping Elf's face. They were going to look for Venom tonight, and while siding with a potential nut job was never something he looked forward to, quick glances into Lashana's knowledge of him did give him a little insight into her decision to side with him. At the very least, his strength might prove equal to the demon's. 

She shifted then, and he watched in amusement as she rose a hand to scratch at her scalp while she groaned and buried her face into the pillow, muttering something about coffee. 

::About time you wake up,:: he chuckled in her thoughts. ::Sleep well?:: 

"Mrpht." 

Blue eyes peeked past tangled bangs as she rose her head, and he gave her a toothy grin, eliciting another groan. ::Well hello to you too. You are planning to feed the dragon, yes?:: 

"Yea," she mumbled, raising her head to look at him fully. "Wha time's'it?" 

::No clue. Sunset. You've been sleeping for a good twelve hours, by the way.:: 

"Twelve hours? Really?" Yawning, she pushed herself up and shifted to sit lotus style, raising her right arm as she lowered her left hand to her ribs, probing a sore spot. "Mfpt. I'll have to bandage these. Okay, bathroom, then food, then search. Good?" 

::Good.:: 

With that plan in mind, she got to her feet and headed for the bathroom, stretching as she went. Once the door was closed, she pulled a clean royal purple blouse out of a portal, along with a large roll of elastic bandage. Satisfied, she headed into the shower, taking a nice long half hour to wash herself before she grabbed a towel and dried herself. 

After using the blow-dryer to dry her hair into something that was manageable, she bandaged her ribs, then redressed herself, exiting along with a rolling cloud of fog as she walked back out into the bedroom, sticking her tongue out at Akhor when he gave her a long suffering sigh and mimed starving. "Alright, alright. We're going." Stooping, she pulled on her boots, then straightened and grabbed her jacket, pulling it on with a grimace. 

::You're not alright,:: Akhor frowned as he flew over to her, landing on her outstretched arm. ::How bad is it?:: 

"Nothing serious. Just aches," she told him reassuringly as she grabbed her keys and boosted him up to her shoulder. "McDonalds okay for now? We can get Chinese later." 

::Deal.:: 

~*~ 

An hour later found them wandering through the streets following a locator spell that Lashana had hastily conjured. He was just hoping that she had been serious about the Chinese food, because McDonalds was not his most favourite meal. The little bobbing green light dipped through a sewer grate then, and he took a quick glance around as she knelt and lifted the grate, magicking up a sphere of white light as she peered down into the darkness after the locator spell. 

"Looks like we found the entrance," she grinned as she hopped down into the darkness, the grate slamming closed with a loud bang as she used her flight spell to slow her fall until her feet hit solid ground. Rising her right hand, she called the light spell back to her and held it gingerly as she walked along the sewer, a single brow arching when the sewer pipe suddenly changed to an underground tunnel that led down at a steeper angle. 

::Are you sure about this?:: Akhor whispered. ::They're not gonna be happy that you found this place.:: 

"It's not the humans you should be worrying about, littling, it's Venom that's the real threat." 

::Oh, there's a happy thought. And this is the guy we're going to for help?:: 

_It was your idea,_ she mused silently, preferring to merely think what she wanted to say instead of speaking out loud where her voice would echo down the tunnel. _Besides, I'm fairly certain I can handle him. Maybe._

::'Maybe'?!:: 

_Shh!_ Eyes narrowing as the sound of someone else's breathing caught her attention, she sent the light spell towards the ceiling of the tunnel, reaching into her jacket for her gun as she backed up against the side of the tunnel wall, ears straining for any indication of where the other person was. _Screw this._ Grabbing her sunglasses, she slipped them on then fed a huge amount of energy into the light spell, bathing the entire tunnel in light that rivalled that of the sun, and she inwardly cursed as a woman screamed and ran further down the tunnel. _Well crap._

::That bad?:: 

_Venom protects these people,_ she told him as she reholstered her gun and banished the light spell, sighing heavily as she turned to head back to the street, pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head as she walked._ If one of them goes down there screaming about us in the tunnel, how much of a bad mood do you think Venom will be in when he finds us?_

::Good point,:: he muttered in her thoughts, not liking that outcome one damned bit. ::Well, if we're heading back up then what are we gonna do for the rest of the night?:: 

_We wait for Venom to find us. Because he will._ She reached the grate and pushed it out of the way as she climbed back out onto the street, kicking the lid closed as she headed for the sidewalk before some car came along to run her over._ We can pick off some muggers while we wait._

::Oh yippee. Muggers.:: 

Fighting a smirk, she walked into an alley and wove her flight spell, flying above the rooftops again as she looked around the city, trying to find the highest building around. _Don't be snippy, Akhor. This has to be done delicately to keep us alive._

::Please, _please_, tell me that you're a match for him in case he isn't happy,:: he sent pleadingly, his mindvoice worried. 

_His weaknesses are fire and sound. I can't do much for the latter, but I'm adept at the former_, she told him reassuringly, raising a hand to lightly stroke his head as she chose a rooftop and landed, sighing softly as she turned to gaze up at the sky, wishing that she could see the stars more clearly. Akhor wriggled out from under her jacket then, and she smiled as she watched him take to the air, feeling a burst of pride for the little dragon. He had hatched as the runt of the litter, and there had been many times where she had feared that he wasn't going to make it, and she was relieved to see that all her previous fears had been unfounded. He had prospered under her care, and while he was still a bit smaller than his brothers, he more than made up for it with his wits and quick thinking. Using his smaller size to his benefit, he could now out-fly his two brothers, easily out-manoeuvring them in the air, and thanks to his link with her, he had adapted her knack of improvisation into his fighting, able to adapt to situations in a moment's notice. 

The object of her thoughts gave a snort of amusement then, and she smiled sheepishly when she became aware that he had been listening in on her thoughts. _As if you need a bigger ego._

He laughed and did a mid-air cartwheel, showing off for her before he turned on a wingtip and returned to her, crooning as he flew into her arms and rested there, clinging to the front of her jacket. ::There is nothing wrong with having an ego,:: he sniffed, nipping at her fingers when she chuckled. ::So what now? We just gonna sit here and wait for psycho-boy to show up?:: 

_Pretty much._ Sighing again, she went and sat on the raised edge of the roof, yawning as she lay down and rose her arms to lace her fingers behind her head. _Get comfortable. This might be a while._

Groaning, he pulled away from her and spread his wings, flying over to a ventilation duct and perching on the top of it, wings folding against his back as he settled himself for a long wait. While Lashana merely rested and stared up at the stars, he distracted himself by telepathically scanning the area, listening to the surface thoughts of the various people down on the street, impatiently tapping a claw against the duct he was lying on. 

By the time the moon had reached it's peak, both he and Lashana were running out of patience. Granted, the Elf had never been accused of being the patient type to being with, hence the fact that she was entertaining herself by lobbing fire arrows at some car jackers on the street, her head propped up with her left fist as she sighed heavily and lazily threw the lances at the lawbreakers feet, sending them scrambling away with melted sneakers. He meanwhile, had rolled onto his back and was idly scratching his chest, yawning widely. 

::Can we go back to the hotel now?:: he asked, his voice bored and irritable. 

She sighed heavily and shook her head as she stood and rose a hand to rub at the back of her neck. "You know we can't littling," she told him gently, reaching into her pocket when a low warble from her cell phone caught her attention. Thumbing the right button, she tucked her hair out of the way then rose the phone to her ear. "Yell-o." 

"'Shana? It's Tvashtar. Where _are_ you?" 

"M'on a job," she replied, casually curling a lock of her hair around her left index finger as she started to pace. "It's not going so well." 

"You okay? Need some help?" 

"No." Thoughts of how complicated things could get if some of the Guys showed up to help, only to have the Mazoku pit them against each other by assuming their images. "No, I can handle this." _I hope._ "I'll be back in a few more days. Just keep the Palace in one piece and don't piss Telca off. And try to get Wolverine to look at my bike, will ya? There's something screwy with the brakes." 

There was a pregnant pause before he answered. "Yeah okay. You be careful though. Hunting Mazoku isn't the safest job in the universe." 

"No worries, Tvashtar. I can handle him," she said, not feeling the confidence she had in her voice. "I'll call if I need anything, okay?" A telepathic warning from Akhor made her duck as a large dark form with a white spider emblazoned across his chest shot past her, and she spun to try to locate him in the darkness. "I'll, uh, talk to ya later! Ciao!" 

Cutting the conversation short, she shut the cell off and slipped it into her pocket, opening her thoughts to Akhor as he relayed Venom's position to her, able to track him by telepathy instead of sight. "Well," she drawled as she flipped up the collar of her jacket and folded her arms over her chest. "Certainly took you long enough to get here." 

Eddie Brock's eyes narrowed behind the symbiote's mask as he regarded the woman from the shadows, wondering how she was able to spot him in the darkness. She fit the description that had been given to him by one of the homeless people he protected, and he easily spotted the slight bulk of the gun she wore under her jacket. Whoever this woman was, she certainly didn't _look_ like much of a threat, but then again, appearances were deceiving. "What were you doing in the sanctuary?" he growled, feeling his symbiote other shift over his skin as it picked up his anger. "Besides threatening those we protect? And generally putting us in a rather bad mood?" 

She took a step backwards as he advanced on her, black and white symbiote costume shining in the moonlight as he growled, the symbiote's fang filled maw much too close for her comfort. "I threatened no one," she protested, holding her ground as he stalked up to her and glared down at her. "Well, no one from the sanctuary at least." 

"Oh? Then answer us this : how do you know about the sanctuary that lies under the streets? And don't lie to us," he warned, grasping the front of her jacket in a fist and effortlessly lifting her off her feet so that they were at eye level. "Or else it will be the last thing you ever say." 

Wincing at the very real threat, she wracked her mind for a way to tell him what she knew without making him think she was lying to save her hide, her eyes widening when she saw a white form dart through the air behind him. "Akhor! No!" 

Ignoring her yell, the small dragon let loose with a blast of fire, wings slicing through the air as Venom dropped Lashana and screamed, the symbiote writhing in agony as the flames licked at it, and he let a smirk spread over his muzzle as he gained altitude, then dove again, flames licking at his fangs as he readied another attack. Darting in and then out again, he scored a partial hit on his target before shooting upwards to avoid the talons that came at him. 

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lashana looked up as Venom dodged the second belch of fire and barely managed to jump out of the way of a savage punch, her attention divided between him and her dragon. Webbing latched onto Akhor's wings then, tangling them up and leaving him to crash land on the roof, and she didn't even pause to think things through as she lunged forward, ducking around Venom as she snatched Akhor off the ground and into her arms, holding him there as she spun on her heel and leapt for an adjacent roof. 

Tucking the dragon into her jacket freed her hands in time for her to block a punch that came at her, and she rolled out of the way of questing symbiote tendrils before twisting and lobbing a volley of fire arrows at him, the flames forcing him back just enough for her to jump to another roof. Faced with the knowledge that she had to get control of the situation before he got a hand on her and pounded her senseless, she backflipped up onto a small shed on top of the roof she was on and crouched here, watching Venom warily. 

"Look, I'm not here to fight you!" she yelled as he attacked, forcing her to defend herself. "I need your help!" 

"You'll need more than help when we're done with you!" he snarled as he feinted to the left, then came in hard on the right, scoring a solid hit to her ribs and smirking when she staggered backwards, winded. 

Near panicking, she clutched at her ribs with her left hand and rose her right, gathering power to herself as flames gathered in her palm, forming a mid-level fireball. "I didn't want to have to do this! _Fireball!_" The roof exploded in flames and heat, the backlash of the spell washing over her as she vaulted over the shed and bolted for the fire escape, yelping when webbing snared her left ankle and yanked her feet out from under her. Instinct took over then, and she lobbed another fireball in the direction of the webs source before yanking her foot free and scrambling to her feet. 

She got as far as two roofs away before something huge and altogether built like a Mack truck body-slammed her, webbing binding her wrists together as a fist closed around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Coming face to face with a pissed-off Venom was not the best sight to behold, even on a good day. 

"Nasty nasty, little spitfire! That _hurt!_ But don't worry, we plan on repaying you.... ten fold!" 

Panicking, she lashed out and kicked him in the stomach, grimacing when it only served to make him even madder. Talons tightened around her throat, and she fought against the urge to call upon the Chaos and merely kill him with one blast, her thoughts derailing themselves when the small form she had been trying to protect crawled out of her jacket and sunk his fangs into Venom's wrist, a belch of flame accompanying the loud shriek of rage from the dragon. 

::_Leave my mother alone!_:: Akhor roared, telepathically buffeting the human's mind with a psychic attack, his golden eyes widening when he sensed another presence in the male's mind, the alien mind easily shifting to protect the human one it was bonded to. But his surprise didn't last long as Venom dropped the Elf and staggered backwards, clutching at his burned arm. ::Get away from her! _Now!_:: 

"Akhor, littling, I'm alright," Lashana said in between coughs and deep gasps for air. 

Still holding his wrist as he and the symbiote recovered from the fire, Venom glared down at the woman before the source of the voice in his mind drew his attention, his eyes widening when he looked upon the small white form that was crouched in front of the woman. His surprise grew even more when she effortlessly ripped her way free of his webbing, the steel strong strands tearing like paper as she freed her hands. "What the hell are you?" he growled once he was recovered, ignoring the pain in his wrist as he met the dark blue gaze that was turned upon him. 

"This city's only hope. Though I'm starting to regret taking this job!" She shot back angrily, eyes flashing from blue to gold as her temper broke free. "I'm hunting the killer that's been taking out the homeless! I know what it is and I know how to stop it! But I can't do it alone! I believed that you of all people would be the most interested in stopping the killings, but since you've only shown me that you're a complete _fuckshit_ then I believe you can go straight to hell!" Fanged incisors bared in a snarl, she scooped Akhor into her arms and spun on her heel, stomping over to the edge of the roof before she opened a portal and stalked through it, not even looking back as the doorway snapped shut behind her. 

She reappeared in the middle of the motel room, all temper and fangs and rage. "That... that _bakayaro!_" Swearing in japanese had become a bad habit for her. "_Kisama!_" 

Wincing at her anger, Akhor flew over to land on the small table and silently watched her as she paced the length of the room, ranting in Elvish, arms gesturing wildly as her temper took over. ::Lashana. Lashana?:: When she didn't answer him, he waited a few more minutes, then tried again. ::Mommy?:: 

_That_ hit the mark. 

"Huh, wha?" Blinking, she froze in mid-step and mid-curse and turned to look at him worriedly. "What? What's wrong?" 

::You mean despite the fact that you've been rampaging around the room for the past ten minutes?:: he asked wryly as he rose a claw to prop his head up and looked at her. ::Are you done?:: 

She paused for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose." 

::Good! Because what you should be doing is scrying the damned city. Not wearing a path in the carpet.:: 

A sigh left her at that, and she shucked out of her jacket as she moved to sit at the table, slumping in the chair. "Alright. You've got a point," she admitted, reaching out to stroke his head, fingers sliding between the two gold horns on his forehead, a ghost of a smile spreading over her lips when he purred and arched his head into her hand. "Where's that map?" 

He smirked. ::I'm lying on it.:: 

Laughing now, she scooped him into her arms and set him on her lap, patting his head a final time before she unfolded the map and spread it out over the table. "Okay, scrying...." Brow furrowed, she pulled a clear quartz crystal pendant out of a portal and held it over the map. "I can't scry for the Mazoku directly, cuz he'd feel it so...." 

::Search for the locations of the murders,:: Akhor suggested as he climbed up onto the table and grabbed a pen. ::I'll mark where the crystal points.:: 

She nodded in agreement and held the pendant over the map as she closed her eyes and concentrated, expanding her aura as she opened herself up to the universe and the possibilities. As she fell into a trance, she moved her hand slightly, sending the pendant swinging in a clockwise motion, trusting Akhor to mark down any possible locations as she let her consciousness attain something higher. 

Ten times the pendant stopped in mid swing and defied gravity to point at a spot on the map, and every time Akhor marked it with the pen, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the definite pattern. It seemed to him that the Mazoku was staying in one area, the same spot that they had encountered it the night before, with only one or two killings done outside the region being pointed out, and he ran through a few possibilities in his mind as he rose his gaze to look at the still tranced Elf. ::Lashana. That's enough:: 

His voice broke through her trance, and she shivered for a moment before opening her eyes and blinking dazedly. "Did it work?" she whispered as she dropped the pendant and rose a hand to her head, closing her eyes again as she recentered her 'self'. 

::Perfectly.:: 

"Good," she groaned as she got to her feet and went to collapse face first onto the bed. "I have to lie down for a bit." 

::You stayed under for too long, didn't you?:: he frowned, dropping the pen as he spread his wings and flew over to her, landing on the pillow before he extended a claw and stroked her hair, eliciting another groan from her. Smiling slightly, he pulled away and went to turn off the lamp, returning to her moments later to curl up next to her head, crooning at her warmly. ::Get some sleep then. I'll wake you in a few hours so you can go get that Chinese food you promised me.:: When he didn't get an answer, he frowned and glanced at her, rolling his eyes when he saw that she was already asleep. 

He knew how hard it was for her to trance like she had just done. By opening herself to her surroundings, it was as if she walked into a firing range, every emotion, every pain from the people around her would be felt ten fold by her. And to add insult to injury, while she had to keep herself open enough to sense the goings on in the supernatural sense, she had to keep herself shielded enough to keep from being overwhelmed. It didn't help that she also had to keep her Light and the Chaos inside her balanced on a knives edge, if one out balanced the other while she was wide open, it would leave her soul open to all sorts of magickal attacks. 

Sighing, he rested his head on his foreclaws and settled himself more comfortably on the pillow, curling his tail around himself as he watched her sleep, yawning softly after a few minutes of watching her. He could sense her exhaustion even as she slept, and it knawed at the telepathic link they shared, transmitting itself to him until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. 

Truthfully, Lashana had no clue how long she slept, or what, in the end, woke her, only that one moment she was deep in a dream and the next she was wide awake and on her guard. She instinctively tensed as something grated along her senses, the feeling that something was _wrong_ making the small hairs on the nape of her neck bristle. 

Warily, she extended a bit of her Chaos senses, then narrowed her eyes when she realised that someone was in the room with her and Akhor, someone uninvited. 

Acting on the fear that it might be the Mazoku, she lunged to her feet and let the Chaos take over, growling as the Avatar power flowed through her, her white hair turning to the purest gold as her eyes flashed gold, fingernails turning into black talons as five spines ripped out of the backs of both her arms. She flared her aura, the gold light illuminating the entire room, and she blinked in surprise when she saw Venom calmly leaning back against the far wall, regarding her in wary surprise as she slowly straightened out of her fighting stance. 

"What," she growled, "the fuck are you doing here?" 

"We.... wish to know more, about the one you are hunting," he answered after a moment of silence. 

She frowned and moved to turn on the lamp before turning back to him, folding her arms over her chest as the symbiote moved away from Eddie Brock's face, letting her meet the humans bright blue gaze. "Oh? And suddenly I'm expected to trust you enough not to maul you on sight? And how the flamin' hell did you find me anyway?" 

"We believe that you know him. Justin? The young lad that you saved last night." 

"Justin." When he nodded, she sighed and rose a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I need a vacation. Alright, _fine._ But one wrong move and I'm frying your ass." As she spoke, she let herself revert to her natural form, grimacing in annoyance when she saw the five holes in both sleeves of her blouse. "I lose so many shirts that way. Akhor! Wake up." _And don't freak._

::Freak? Wha....:: Drowsy golden eyes slid open at the call, his gaze focusing on the dark form standing at the head of the bed, and in his shock, he sent his thoughts in a wideband frequency. ::Holy shit!:: 

"We weren't aware that had been sanctified," Eddie smirked, turning to look at the source of the telepathic voice and freezing at the sight of the small dragon uncurling from it's sleep. "We didn't believe it before.... Is that.... a dragon?" 

Lashana let a rather evil grin spread over her lips. "His name is, Akhor. He's not fond of you either by the way, so you may not wanna get too close to him. He breathes fire." 

::You touch me and I'll claw your face off,:: the dragon growled as he spread his wings and flew over to the Elf, lightly landing on her right shoulder. 

"That's enough, littling," she murmured softly, hearing his low grumble as he curled himself along the back of her neck, tail gently wrapping around her throat. Sighing heavily, she turned her full attention onto Eddie and frowned, warring with her temper for a moment before lowering her arms. "Alright, look. I was sent here to stop the killings. The only problem is that I can't compete with it's strength without going all out. And if I do that while in the middle of a city.... well.... let's just say that it'd be very, very bad. I know how to stop it, but unless you want a big crater to replace most of San Francisco, then I need your help. And to make things worse I only have three more days before my.... superior destroys the entire city in order to stop the killer. So! It's your choice. Truce or mauling?" 

Eddie sucked in a breath and held it for a bit as he regarded her. She was strong, he could testify to that, and the notion that he had wronged her in attacking her earlier _did_ make he and his other feel a little.... guilty. The thought that she hadn't been serious in their previous fight did tug at his curiosity, as did the little light show that had occurred when she had seemingly transformed, and his other had already relayed the power it had sensed coming from her. But it was the new knowledge that if the killer wasn't stopped soon that all of San Francisco would be destroyed that finally made up his mind, making him hold out a hand to her as he met her gaze. "Truce." 

She hesitated for a moment before reaching out to shake his hand, trying not to shiver at the odd sensation of the symbiote against her skin. "Okay. Good. Great. The name's Lashana. Now, first things first, I know you've dealt with demons before. It was just this past Halloween, wasn't it? With Palentine and the goblins?" 

"How do you know about that?" 

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. I'll answer your question in a minute." Smiling grimly, she held up her right hand and concentrated, watching as light gathered in her palm before it formed a sort of mystical mirror, the image of the Mazoku appearing on it as she continued. "This is what I hunt. In English, it's literally called a Demon. It thrives on pain, be it physical or emotional. It needs it to live and to gain strength. I don't know _why_ it decided to come here, all that I know is that if it's not stopped in the next three days, San Fran is toast." She fisted her hand, dispelling the image, then smirked in amusement. "As for how I know, let's just say that I did my homework before coming here." 

"Alright, fair enough." He knew she wasn't telling him the entire truth about that part, but let it go for now. "So this.... demon, _how_ do we stop it?" 

"Really easy. Beat it unconscious then seal it into an amulet." 

"If it's so easy then why do you need our help?" 

She growled and glared at him. "Don't get snippy. The only reason I need your help is because I don't want to accidentally blow up half of the city! How many times do you want me to say that?!" 

"Alright, alright!" He made calming motions at her as her eyes flashed gold and wondered how short a fuse she had. "We're sorry. _I'm_ sorry. What do we do now? All we know of the killings is what we've read in the papers. Do you have any new information?" 

"Yeah...." she trailed off when her stomach growled and slumped her shoulders. "You like Chinese food?" When he shot her a baffled look and nodded, she lifted Akhor off her shoulders and set him on the table before grabbing her jacket. "Good. C'mon. Akhor, stay here, I'll be back soon." 

::You'd better buy me some shrimp,:: he telepathed to her moodily, glaring at Venom as he followed Lashana out the door. ::Feel free to blast him whenever you want.:: 

"He holds grudges," she told Eddie as she shut the door behind them, eyeing him when the symbiote's usual guise morphed into boots, blue jeans, a tee shirt and a black jacket. "Handy." 

He shrugged non-commitally and kept pace with her as she started walking. "We.... were in the wrong in attacking you earlier." 

"Yup," she agreed. "You were. Lucky for you that I was pretty much expecting it." 

"You know more than you're letting on," he frowned, seeing her smirk slightly. "How do you know so much about us? And what are you? You're not human." 

"Half-human, unfortunately. As for how I know, it's like I said, homework." 

"It's more than 'homework'. You knew how we fight, you knew where to wait for us. You know of the sanctuary! That's more than mere homework." 

She chuckled softly and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Ever the reporter, aren't you? Alright. If you must know, I'm not from your dimension. The demon that's running around is from my world. It punched a hole through the time/space barrier and ended up here. That's why I was sent, I'm the only one who can seal the demon away, and one of the only ones who can travel between dimensions. That portal you saw me use earlier, for example." 

Out of everything he had seen and experienced in the years, that was the most believable of them. "About time you tell us the truth. Did you think we wouldn't notice?" 

"Call it a test." She gave him a thumbs up and gave him a fanged grin. "Congrats, you passed. You wanna hear the rest of it?" When he nodded, she smirked and turned her gaze back to the sidewalk. "In my dimension, you and other.... gifted individuals, only exist in stories and comic books. Where I come from, you're a work of fiction. A popular one too. I follow the storyline, that's how I know so much about you." 

He actually stopped walking, staring at her in shock. "Comic books? We have our own.... comic books?!" 

"Mmhm." She paused by a street lamp and looked back at him, trying hard not to giggle at the dumbfounded look he had. True, she had just dropped a rather large bomb on him, but it always amused her to see people's reactions when she told them that they had their own comic book series in her world. "You've got yourself a legion of fans too. Lots of online website shrines." 

"We have fans? Then, wait...." He cut himself off and fixed her with a disbelieving look. "....you?" 

"Guilty as charged," she chuckled, giving him a mock salute as she grinned. "Now are you coming or what? I'm _starving_ and I've got a moody dragon waiting to be fed back at the hotel." 

He stared at her for a moment longer, then nodded and started walking again, still shooting glances at her as they resumed heading for the nearby restaurant who's neon sign flickered irritatingly. "How much, exactly, do you know?" 

"Rough bits of your past with your father after yer mum died, the whole hatred of Spiderman thing, how you got your other, a bit of history of the symbiote.... Um, what else... Carnage and the other symbiotes, the sanctuary, _Beck_, working with the government, the whole needing chocolate thing in order for the symbiote to stay healthy and sane..." Lashana paused and snickered. "Your 'theme song', _Sister Edwina_." 

"What's wrong with our theme song?" he challenged, completely bypassing the whole 'Sister Edwina' bit. She avoided the question however, as they arrived at the restaurant, and he chose to wait outside while she went in to order. Having someone know his entire life was.... weird. Most of what she had listed were things that he hadn't revealed to anyone, especially the part about his mother. The bit about his 'theme song' had cinched the fact that she knew intimate things about him, because he certainly hadn't told _anyone_ about that little bout of inspiration. 

Having his own line of comic-books. Now if _that_ wasn't good reason for him to be shocked than nothing was. To have _fans_.... But the knowledge that in another dimension people knew every bit about him was a little unnerving, he'd be lying if he said it wasn't. Even the symbiote seemed a little unsettled at that prospect. 

Sighing, he leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest, resting his head back against the brick as he gazed up at the sky, suddenly wondering what he was doing eating Chinese food when there was a killer on the loose. Better yet, if she had been sent to stop the demon, why was she taking things so lightly? She herself had said that in three days time the entire city would be destroyed if the demon wasn't captured, and who exactly was her 'supervisor', anyway? 

_Ugh, we have more questions than answers._ Frowning, he lowered his gaze to the street again and watched the traffic that was passing by, eyeing the few pedestrians that were roaming the streets, always on the lookout for muggers that he could scare straight. 

"Catch!" 

He turned at the yell and automatically caught the bag of Chinese food that was tossed to him, eyeing Lashana questioningly when he saw a similar bag in her arms. "Planning a last meal?" 

"Oh, hush," she smiled. "You think my powers come from thin air or something? Hell no, it saps my energy something fierce. Besides, Akhor eats more than you'd think. I really don't know where he puts it all." 

"We should be looking for the demon." 

"I knew you were gonna say that," she murmured tiredly. "Look, where's the intelligence in going after something powerful when you're starved and low on energy, hmm? That's just inviting death. Besides, I have to go over a few things with you. This isn't gonna be like fighting those pitiful goblins in the subway. The demon is powerful, fast, it's got shape-shifting capabilities, and it can do the same magicks that I can. That includes fire. Running off and getting yourself killed isn't gonna do this city any good, and you know that just as well as I do." 

He winced at that, hating how effortlessly she could read him. "Then what do you expect us to do?" 

"I expect you to chill, have a couple of egg rolls and let me explain what you're getting yourself into." She shook the restaurants flyer at him as she spoke, smirking when he irritably snatched it out of her hand and threw it over his shoulder. "Besides, all of the killings have taken place at midnight. It's only ten o'clock. Give me one hour, then you can go bust heads, okay?" 

A growl left him at that, but he eventually nodded in agreement. "One hour."   
  
  


TBC 


	3. Fight! This Is A Lot Harder Than We Thou...

Lashana owns only herself and Akhor

"Mm, this is so good," Lashana muttered in between chopstick-fulls of chicken friend rice, inwardly thanking her lucky stars that Duncan had taught her how to use the horrible things a few months back. Despite his earlier protests, Eddie was digging into the meal just as much as she was, hence his agreeing mumble as he bit into his fifth egg roll. "Okay, so, back to the map. See any pattern yet?"

He frowned down at the markings on the map. "It's a star."

"More accurately known to us magick users as a pentagram. He's trying to invoke something as far as I can tell, he's killing in very specific places in a very specific order. That's very, very bad, in case you didn't know." Humming thoughtfully, she tapped a chopstick against the map and frowned. "From what I know about the demons, he's either trying to summon something, or trying to gain power. Do you know when the next full moon is?"

The question caught him off guard. "Um.... two, maybe three days."

::My guess would be three,:: Akhor said from where he was on the bed eating his way through a container of shrimp fried rice and another container of tiger shrimp. ::He's doing two killings at every point of the pentagram, he's got two points left to go, and the third killing would be done in the centre of the pentagram.::

She arched an eyebrow at Eddie. "Did you hear him?"

"Yes, why?"

"Making sure."

::I resent that.::

"Eat your shrimp, pipsqueak," she shot back, smirking when he made a rude noise in the back of his throat and hissed. "Anyway, my guess is that he'll strike within three blocks of here." She tapped a finger against a point on the map, then frowned. "He's following a definite pattern.... Gods I'd hate to see what he invokes...."

"You won't," Eddie frowned, growling when he fumbled with the chopsticks, freezing when Lashana reached over and arranged his fingers in the proper fashion to hold the sticks. "Uh... thanks."

"No prob. I hated the evil things before Duncan taught me how to use them. Personally," she stabbed an egg roll with a stick and smirked. "I think using them like this is so much easier."

::That's because you're insane,::Akhor sent.

Lashana growled and sent a scathing glare in his direction. "No comments from the peanut gallery. Besides, you're telepathically linked to me, so what does that make you?"

::Very brave, or very stupid. I'm not sure which.::

"Wisecracking lizard...." Grumbling, she savagely sunk her fangs into the egg roll, glaring at Eddie when she heard him smother a chuckle. "I _heard_ that."

"Sorry," he smirked, drawing her gaze again. "So, besides being a slayer of demons, what exactly do you do?"

"That's pretty much the high point of my months," she said as she went back to the fried rice. "My best friend and I have this Palace in a little dimensional nook, so besides friends and the occasional troublemaker dropping in, our days are pretty much non-lethal. Why? No wait, you're after who my supervisor is, aren't you?"

He grimaced. "How do you do that?!"

"I know you, Eddie Brock. And no, I'm not telling you who sent me here. Not yet anyway." She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe later."

"Gee, thanks," he muttered mockingly. "We feel so honoured."

Wincing at the sarcastic comment, she set the container of rice down and sighed wearily as she got to her feet and headed into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind her. Resting her hands on the counter she stared at her reflection, meeting her own gaze and frowning at the tiredness she saw there. Lack of sleep and the constant ache in her ribs was wearing at her last nerves, and if she wasn't careful, she'd lose her temper and destroy the tentative truce she had with Eddie.

Sighing again, she pulled a clean grey long sleeved shirt out of a portal and changed into it, tossing her other blouse back into the portal with a groan. _And another shirt bites the dust._ She turned the taps on full then and cleaned her face, the refreshing feeling of the cool water on her skin helping to lift her sour mood as she grabbed a towel and dried off, taking a few deep breaths before steeling herself and walking back out into the room.

::Are you alright?:: Akhor immediately asked when he saw her, food promptly ignored as he stood and frowned up at her. 

"I'm fine, littling. Just tired," she murmured, raising her right arm as a perch for him when he flew over to her. His light weight barely phased her as he landed, talons grasping at the material of her sleeve as he climbed up to her shoulder and curled around the back of her neck, tail wrapping around her throat to anchor himself. She became aware that Eddie was watching her closely, and she frowned as she turned to look at him, meeting his gaze steadily, dimly aware that her eyes had turned gold with elliptical pupils.

It was Akhor that said something first. ::Elfy, your eyes! Get control!:: He crooned at her worriedly as she rose a hand to her forehead, opening himself to her fully as he rose his head and nuzzled at her cheek, one claw tugging at a lock of her hair. ::Mommy?::

I'm alright, she sent, raising a hand to stroke his chest lightly as she looked at Eddie again, her gaze once again dark blue. "We should get going," she said softly, turning to put the covers back onto the containers that Akhor had been eating out of and shoving them into the mini fridge.

Eddie frowned at her. "Did we.... Lashana, forgive us, we didn't mean to--"

"It's alright. I'm tired and on edge and in pain. It usually sends my mood right into the ground. And my magick is sensitive to my moods." She pulled her jacket on as she spoke, being careful of Akhor as she adjusted the collar of it. 

"Pain? Your ribs?" When she shot him a questioning look, he shrugged and gestured to her shirt. "We saw the extra bulk of the bandage. We caused it during the fight." It wasn't a question.

"No. I tangled with the demon last night. It knocked me off a rooftop and I landed on a car," she told him as she buttoned up her jacket and checked her pockets for her things, nodding to herself once she was sure she had everything. "It's nothing serious though. Besides, I've been hurt worse than this."

::Most people wouldn't say that as a positive thing,:: Akhor told her, looking at her when she smiled darkly, then turning his gaze to Eddie. ::You don't want to know what happens to people when she smiles like that.::

"We'd imagine that it's the same thing that happens to people when we smile like that."

::Yeah, but she's inventive, and female. Bad combo.::

"Akhor, stop making me sound like a complete psychopath," Lashana protested with a slight glare at the dragon. "Well, the hour's up. You ready to do this, Eddie?"

He frowned at her for a moment, then nodded and got to his feet, turning to replace the covers on all of the containers before coping her earlier example and putting the leftovers in the small fridge. "Are you.... portalling us there?"

"Unfortunately no," she told him, raising a hand to rub at the back of her neck. "I can only portal to places I've already been to once before. Else, y'know, we could end up reappearing _in_ a wall. I was kinda hoping you knew the way."

"We do. Though we'll have to move quickly in order to get there in time." As he spoke, the symbiote shifted over him, reverting to it's more normal look of pure black with the white spider emblazoned across his chest. "We'll carry you."

"No need. I'll keep up on my own. First things first though." Concentrating, she snapped the fingers of her right hand and smirked as a portal opened up in front of her, able to see through it to the roof of a building that was a few blocks away. "I'd rather not get thrown out of the hotel. C'mon." Seeing his hesitation, she walked through first, taking a deep breath of the cold air as she stepped through onto the roof, the wind immediately playing with her hair as she turned to regard the portal, smiling when Eddie finally stepped through it.

Smiling, she hopped up onto the raised ledge of the roof and looked down at the street below, then glanced back at Eddie and grinned. "Coming?" she asked sweetly before she swan dived off the edge.

Alarmed, Eddie dove after her, the symbiote rising to cover his face in the gruesome mask as he shot out a web line, fully prepared to catch her before she hit the street....

And a giggle sounded _above him_.

Startled, he twisted around in mid-air and stared back at the white haired woman that was hovering a little ways away from him, a very amused look on her features. "What-"

"Flight spell," she beamed, chuckling at the look on Venom's face. "Well? Which way are we headin'?" When he stared and mutely pointed, she grinned and dove down past him. "Well c'mon already! Get the lead out! We're wastin' moonlight! Of course, I'd understand if you can't keep up...." She trailed off and arched an eyebrow at him in challenge, grinning as she sped up, arrowing through the air. "Old age and all that."

He sputtered. "Old age?! We'll show you, 'old age'!" Growling, he shot out another webline and swung after her, sling shooting around the corner of a building to gain speed before arching out across the street, easily passing her. "You're an insolent pup!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she laughed, hair whipping back in the winds as she darted around a building, grinning at him when he kept pace with her.

::Aw c'mon, Elfy. Quit goin' easy on him,:: Akhor purred as he poked his head out of her hair and watched their surroundings zoom past them. ::Show'em how real people fly!::

"Not now, littling," she scolded him lightly raising a hand to stroke his head. "Do me a favour and scan the area, hmm? You know what to look for."

"He can do that?" Venom asked curiously as he webslinged closer to her in order to hold a conversation.

"Mmhm. He's telepathic, remember? Granted, his range is only about ten city blocks, but it's better than nothing." He gestured for her to follow him as he swung around a building and headed after him, hissing softly under her breath as she clutched at her ribs, using a little bit of energy to weave a partial Healing spell over herself, the magick mending a bit of the stiffness in her sides and back. It would have to do until she had enough time to do it properly, she only hoped that Venom would be able to handle the Mazoku, considering that she really didn't want to get into another fight with the demon.

A low humming drew her gaze to Venom as he webslinged across the streets, and she rolled her eyes as he actually broke out in song, the first line of 'Strangers in the Night' echoing on the winds as he cut across in front of her and shot around another building. Knowing full well what she had gotten herself into when she had asked for his help, she stayed silent and put up with it, knowing that the thought of a good fight was putting him into a good mood.

::Nothing yet,:: Akhor whispered into her thoughts. ::Want me to keep looking?::

Nah, keep your strength. She skimmed over a rooftop and gained altitude, making herself a grand target for the Mazoku as she followed Venom from above. _Tell him what I'm trying._

The dragon grimaced but relayed the message anyway, glancing down at the human/symbiote below as he telepathed to him. ::Lashana's playing bait,:: he sent, immediately sensing Venom's disapproval. ::I don't like it either, but it'll definitely get the demon's attention. Are we close to our destination?:: It was the symbiote that answered, the cool emotionless voice sending a shiver down his spine before he turned his thoughts to Lashana. ::We're ten minutes away. Maybe you should land.::

Yeah, alright. Dark blue eyes scanned the rooftops below for a moment before she chose a suitable building, feeling Akhor tighten his hold on her as she dove down to make a landing, banishing her flight spell the moment her boots hit the rough gravel.

"You are not going to act as bait," Venom growled as he landed in a crouch on the edge of the roof, the symbiotes horrendous slime-laden tongue waving at her. 

"You have a better idea?" She didn't look at him as she spoke, turning her attention instead to the energy she was gathering in her cupped hands, the reddish light becoming infused with the emotions she was feeding into it. Anger, sorrow, frustration and fear, all the emotions the Mazoku fed off of, the perfect bait. The only drawback was that it was _her_ emotions, which meant that when it discovered that the spell was merely a diversion, it would follow the 'scent' of the emotions right back to her.

::You are insane,:: Akhor snorted as he spread his wings and flew over to perch on a cable antenna, talons gripping at the metal. ::When it figures out that that's just a beacon it's gonna go after you! And in case you forgot, it's immune to your magick!::

"It's immune?" Fangs glinting in the moonlight, Venom stepped down from the ledge and folded his arms over his chest. "Is there anything else you haven't told us?"

"It's immune to _some_ of my spells," she corrected. "And the only reason it caught me off guard last time is because it caught me by surprise. Things are difference this time." As she spoke, she rose her hands, the red globe pulsing as it floated between her palms. "Are we gonna do this or not?"

Eddie frowned behind the symbiote's mask, then sighed. "Do it."

Akhor groaned and rose a claw to his forehead. ::You're _both _insane.::

Ignoring him, Lashana cupped the spell in her hands for a moment longer before tossing it into the air, like one releasing a dove. The red sphere glowed brighter and brighter until it exploded, sending a pulse wave of power out over the city. "I give it ten minutes," she mused as she dusted her hands and rummaged around in her pants pockets for a hair elastic. Humming cheerfully, she put her hair up into a ponytail and reached into her storage portal for her sword, wiping it on the hem of her jacket before admiring her reflection in the blade, tilting the sword a little to look at Venom's reflection when he approached her. "What?"

"Do you know how to use that?" he asked, stepping back when she twirled the sword and spun to face him, the blade suddenly an inch away from his throat. "We'll take that as a 'yes'."

She grinned wickedly and lowered her sword. "I was trained by the best," she told him as she turned and went to prop a foot up on the ledge, looking down at the street below curiously. Her senses were on edge as she strained to feel the energies of the city, trying to pinpoint the Mazoku in a sea of people. It wasn't working. Though, all things considered, it wasn't really needed anyway.

Snarling like a wild beast, the demon landed heavily behind her, the roof buckling under it's weight as it lashed out at her with a clawed hand, roaring in rage when she twisted out of the way and lobbed a lightning spell right into it's face, momentarily blinding it. Venom attacked seconds later, forcing it away from her as the two snarling combatants traded savage blows, each of them trying to get the advantage over the other, and as the Mazoku threw Venom aside, she lunged into the fight, her blade gleaming in the moonlight as it attacked.

As before, the thing merely grew a katana from it's hand, the mock sword gleaming in a dark mockery of her own as they crossed blades. Knowing that it would merely overwhelm her with brute strength if she let it, she twisted aside, parried, and darted in, scoring a gash along it's left side before she danced away again. This time it initiated the next attack, before she had recovered from their other fight, thus instinct took over before her training could. Pivoting on her left ankle, she set the blade against her left arm and darted into close contact, twisting her wrist to savagely slash open the demon's belly, her eyes widening when the demon merely chuckled.

"Lookout!" Having seen the dark tendrils that were forming from the demon's back, Venom threw himself back into the fray, the symbiote interspersing it's own knife-edged pseudopods between Lashana and the demon, saving her from the things attack. Talons scored across his chest, and he hissed when he felt the symbiote's pain as his other shielded him from harm. This thing just wouldn't _die!_ Twice he had delivered killing blows, and it didn't seem to phase this creature at all! To add to his dismay, it's sword was just as sharp as the real thing, causing even more of a problem as he ducked and weaved out of it's range.

Akhor dove into the fray then, talons raking across the demon's face as he flew by, knowing better than to use his flames when Venom was too close to his target. From ten meters altitude, he saw Lashana dart in again, catching the Mazoku's vicious sword slash on the flat of her blade while she rose her left hand to it's face, loosing a spell at point black range. The explosion shook the entire building as the backlash of power washed over the Elf, and he took the opportunity presented to scan the building, twisting in mid-air when he located the demon. ::Behind you!::

Venom spun at the yell and lashed out with a powerful kick, scoring a direct hit right in the centre of the demon's chest with enough force to send it crashing backwards. Even before it hit the ground, he was leaping after it, talons and fangs at the ready, the pale eyes of the symbiote's mask narrowed in hatred and disgust as they attacked, aiming to simply rend the demon limb from limb. For a brief moment, he felt a burst of triumph swell in his chest when the demon staggered away and clutched at it's sides, it's odd elliptical orange eyes clenched shut in pain as it wheezed, but that triumph died before it had a decent chance to live when a white spider emblem appeared on it's chest, pale white eyes and fangs that would make a shark jealous joining the rich black of it's body.

Faced with himself, Venom lost precious few seconds gaping in shock, seconds that the newly shape-changed demon used to it's advantage as it lunged at it's prey, fangs going for the human's throat.

Lashana, meanwhile, paled at the sight of two identical Venom's grappling with each other. "Holy crap!" She yelped seconds later when one of the Venoms was thrown her way, and she barely managed to duck out of the way to avoid being used as a crash mat, her eyes widening as she looked from one Venom to the other. Both were in fighting stances seconds later, and her gaze darted from each of them numerous times. "Um.... Akhor? Littling, help?"

::I can't!:: the dragon cried. ::They both sense the same!::

Shit, shit, shit. Heart pounding, she backed up again until the backs of her knees hit the raised edge of the roof. _This_ was not good. If Akhor couldn't tell the difference between them then that left her to wrack her brain for something that only Eddie would know without giving away any vital information to the demon. Luckily, it seemed that she had a few more seconds to think things threw, since the two Venoms were once again grappling with each other, one grabbing the other in a painful-looking hold before he sunk his fangs into the other's shoulder, drawing a ragged scream from him along with a cry for help.

Throwing caution to the winds, she gathered her courage and threw herself into the fight, landing a roundhouse kick in the firsts stomach before throwing the other to the ground in the judo throw that Duncan had taught her. "Enough already!" she yelled, gathering lightning in her hands as she looked from one to the other, her gaze constantly going between them. "Here's a little test for y'all. Crappy theme song!"

The one who was clutching at his right shoulder actually managed to sound indignant. "There is nothing wrong with our theme song!"

Grinning, she rounded on the other one. "Thank you, good night! _Wind! Crimson flame! Grant the power of thunder to my hands! Digu Volt!_" She threw her hands forward and was forced to take a step back from the sheer power of the attack that left her, her boots skidding backwards on the rooftop as the lightning converged on the demon, hitting him full in the chest and pulling a shriek of pain and anger from it before it toppled off of the roof.

Not wasting a moment, she spun on her heel and ran over to Eddie, her eyes widening when she saw blood seeping between his fingers and the symbiotes tendrils. "Oh my God. Eddie, let me see." Not waiting for an answer, she gently swatted his hand out of the way, murmuring thanks to the symbiote when it pulled away from the wound, and she grimaced at the sight of the vicious bite mark, the gashes left behind by the demon's fangs seemingly going straight to the bone. "Couldn't the other protect you?"

"It tried! It's shielded me from armour piercing bullets as well as your dragon's fangs! But for some reason that.... _abomination_ sliced right through it! We can't stop the bleeding, our arm is already numb."

"Poison," she breathed in horror. _Akhor! Watch my back!_ "Eddie, hold still. And don't argue!" Brow furrowed in deep concentration, she lay her hands over the wound on either side of his shoulder and breathed out slowly before closing her eyes and beginning the spell which would cleanse the poison from him. But it was a complicated spell, something that demanded all of her attention, a dangerous thing considering that the demon was by no means defeated. 

She pushed such thoughts from her mind as she centred and grounded herself before slowly opening herself, feeding her own LifeSource into the incantation as the spell sought out and destroyed every molecule of the poison, cleansing Eddie's entire circulatory system of it, draining her energy as it went. She pulled away with a gasp ten minutes later and stumbled backwards to land heavily on her butt, her hands shaking, a bad sign. She'd used too much of her LifeSource. "I think.... I think I got it all...."

Having _felt_ the healing she had done on him, Eddie slowly turned his head to look at his shoulder, frowning at the still fresh bite mark for a moment before he realised that his arm wasn't numb anymore, and that the bleeding had stopped. Immediately, his other flowed over the exposed wound, covering it in coolness as the symbiote blocked his pain receptors, supporting his shoulder just enough to allow him to defend himself if the need arose. 

He turned to Lashana next, rising into a crouch as he rested a hand on her back, worried at how pale and weak she now seemed. "What did you do? Are you alright?"

"The spell.... uses my LifeSource. I cleansed the poison from you, but it took more out of me than I was expecting," she whispered raggedly, frowning as she rose her right hand and watched it shake slightly. "Gave myself a morning-after without the night-before."

"This is bad," he said softly as he gently helped her to her feet, supporting her when she staggered. "Can you walk?"

::She's drained,:: Akhor told him as he circled them. ::She basically gave up part of her _life_ to heal you. Believe me when I say that she's gonna be out of it for a while.::

Lashana sucked in a breath and pushed away from Eddie, pulling on her ties to the Chaos to give her more energy. "No. I can handle it. Akhor, where's the demon?"

::It headed east--:: He cut himself off in sudden realisation and darted down to land on her shoulder, pulling on her hair. ::Oh no! No! You are _not_ gonna go after it! Lashana!::

Her eyes turned gold as she glanced at him, meeting his own golden gaze as he looked up at her pleadingly, his mind turmoiled as flashes of alarmed yellows and oranges flashed in front of her mind's eye. Finally, she sighed and glanced over at Eddie, once again in the guise of Venom, and not looking overly happy. "I think," she sighed. "That we're out of luck for tonight."

He stared at her long and hard for a moment, then nodded. "We agree."

Akhor heaved a sigh of relief and sagged against Lashana's head, wings drooping. ::Gods, you're going to give me a heart attack.::

I'm sorry, littling. "Alright. Good. I'm gonna pass out soon anyway." Mustering up her waning strength, she rose her right hand and opened a portal, grimacing when it flickered erratically. "I'm goin' back to the hotel," she told Venom as she glanced at him. "Are you coming or what? I can fully Heal your shoulder once I get a few hours sleep."

"We'll join you," he answered after a moment, knowing that she would be without protection at the motel, remembering what Akhor had said about the demon targeting her for her emotions once it found them. It stood to reason that it could probably track her anywhere within the city, and, in all truth, so far she was his only means of finding the demonic killer that was loose on the streets. And even though he was hesitant to admit it, his shoulder's bone deep ache was certainly going to prevent him from webslinging anywhere this night.

Suddenly very wary of their surroundings, he gestured for her to precede him into the portal, then followed her, feeling the sensation of being watched die as the mystical doorway snapped shut behind him. Almost immediately, she headed for the bed, and he smirked as he watched her collapse face-first onto the bed, raising a hand to wipe over his face when the symbiote removed it's protective mask from him. 

Worried, Akhor crawled out from under Lashana's right arm and climbed up onto the pillow, turning to look at her in deep concern when his soft telepathic queries went unanswered. ::She's out cold,:: he reluctantly told Eddie, stifling a warning snarl when the male moved to the bedside and went about removing the Elf's jacket, gun holster and boots, settling her more comfortably before covering her with the blanket. ::....thanks. I.... I'm sorry I bit you.::

"You were protecting her, it's understandable," Eddie replied as he went into the bathroom, the symbiote removing itself from his torso as he soaked a facecloth in cold water and held it against his right shoulder. The wound was beginning to worry him, especially since his other seemed unable to heal it, as it did with most wounds to the human. Already, it was starting to bruise and swell, and while he was certain that after Lashana's actions that he wouldn't have to worry about infection, the stiffness that was settling in was going to seriously dampen his fighting abilities.

::She meant what she said,:: Akhor sent to him as the dragon settled himself on the small table near the bed, lying down on his belly and curling his tail around himself. ::She'll Heal you when she wakes up. Granted, I don't know when that'll _be_....::

"Hopefully by tomorrow night," Eddie mused as he walked out of the bathroom, still holding the cloth to his shoulder. Eyeing the dragon a little warily, he sat down at the table and rested his left elbow on the table top. "You'd better not flame us."

::You came here to protect, Lashana, didn't you? That's more than enough reason for me not to fry you.::

The symbiote slowly calmed itself upon hearing that, and Eddie sighed softly in relief as he let himself slouch a little into the padded chair. "This has not been one of our better nights," he muttered, glancing at the dragon as Akhor tapped a talon against the TV remote and started channel surfing. "Well, what are we to do until she wakes up?"

Golden eyes turned to meet his gaze. ::For starters, you can go fetch that leftover Chinese food out of the fridge and feed the dragon.::

TBC


	4. Darkness Prevails

Usual Disclaimer: we own nothing but ourselves

The low roar of the TV greeted Lashana's return to consciousness, the sound making her instinctively roll over and pull a pillow over her head, her usual reaction to being woken up. It took her muddled thoughts a good two minutes to reorient themselves before she remembered where she was, and another minute before she remembered that she wasn't alone.

Sighing, she shoved the pillow off of her head and propped herself up on an elbow, pushing her unruly bangs out of her eyes before looking around the room, her gaze passing over the small colour TV in the corner to the small dragon that was lying on the table, draped over the remote control as he slept, an empty container of shrimp overturned next to him. In the end, her gaze was mostly drawn to the human male that was slouched in the chair, his elbow propped on the tabletop as he rested his head against his fist and slept, only his head free of the black and white symbiote that covered him, letting the long unkempt bangs of his dirty blond hair fall into his eyes, and she smiled a little when she realised that this was as peaceful as she'd ever seen him.

Groaning a little at the aches in her bones, she slowly sat up and rose a hand to her pounding head, her memory quickly reminding her of _why_ she was in this state. _Damned spell. There's gotta be an easier way to weave it...._ Sighing, she threw the blankets aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her headache increasing as she shakily got to her feet, using the nightstand to steady herself when her knees threatened to buckle.

Alerted by the sound of the nightstand wobbling unsteadily, Akhor roused himself out of his dreams and cracked open an eye to investigate, snapping his eyes open when he discovered that Lashana was awake and mostly upright. ::Mommy!:: Wings unfurling, he launched himself off the table and barrelled into her with enough momentum that she was forced to sit down or be knocked over. ::You're awake! Are you alright?!::

Shh, shh. Not so loud, she winced, holding him in her arms as she looked down at him, meeting his worried golden gaze. _I'm okay, considering._

Having already been informed of what was happening by the symbiote, Eddie merely opened his eyes and watched the two interact, smiling when he saw Akhor hug the woman's neck in obvious relief as she enveloped him in her arms and kissed the top of his head. He waited a few moments longer before straightening in the chair, immediately drawing Lashana's gaze when she heard him, her cheeks flushing red when she realised that he had been watching her. Deciding not to embarrass her further, he leaned forward in the chair and rested his elbows on his thighs, smiling at her gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Don't ask," she whispered raggedly, smirking a little. "You?"

"Other than the shoulder, we can't complain," he answered softly, able to tell by her eyes that she had a headache. "Do you need anything? There's a pharmacy nearby, we could go fetch something for you."

"Could you? Oh, thanks a lot. There's a wad of bills in the inside right pocket of my jacket...." she paused and winced as the pounding in her head increased, then sighed. "Gatorade, painkillers and chocolate. Get whatever you want, I have enough money."

He went to retrieve the money and counted out a good thirty dollars before sending a silent request to his other, glancing down at himself as the symbiote reformed itself into the guise of street clothes. Satisfied at his appearance, he looked back at Lashana and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "We'll be back soon. Try not to move around too much."

She smirked crookedly and gave him a mock salute, seeing him roll his eyes in exasperation before he slipped out the front door, closing it quietly behind him afterwards. Alone, she carefully relocated Akhor to the pillows and lay down again, smiling a little when the dragon shifted to rest his head against her throat, a bad habit he had picked up when he was a hatchling. _I'll be okay,_ she sent to him, trying her best not to project her headache to him as she did so. _A few painkillers and I'll be back to normal._

Worried, he rose his head and shifted so that he could meet her gaze, the thrum of a purr leaving him when she rose a hand to stroke his back, fingers gliding over snow white scales. ::I don't think you should go after the demon again,:: he whispered in her thoughts, cutting her off when he felt her start to protest. ::Look at you! Twice now that thing's won, and each time you got hurt! This Mazoku's stronger than the others, it's different. What if you can't beat it?::

"That's not an option," she frowned, gently chucking him under the chin with a knuckle. "I'm not gonna lose, littling. Not when it means that this entire world will be destroyed."

::But at what cost?::

She almost replied with her usual 'any cost', but stopped herself, knowing that it wouldn't help the situation. "I won't lose, Akhor. And I won't leave you. When this is over and we're back home, I'll bring you and your brothers to the lake for a few days, how's that?"

::Promise?::

He sounded so pitiful that she rolled onto her side and gathered him to her, sighing when he pressed his chest against her heart, seeking comfort. "I swear it, my little one." Knowing that he needed to be held, she cradled him against her and carefully propped herself up with the pillows, leaning her head back on the headboard as she lightly scratched his scales.

In the end, when Eddie returned, he discovered that she had fallen asleep again, and this time, instead of letting her sleep, he carefully approached her and shook her lightly, catching her fist in his left hand when she took a swing at him. "Hello to you too."

She blinked, then flushed. "Sorry. I'm a little on edge."

Chuckling, he shifted his hold on her so that he was clasping hands with her and gently pulled her to her feet, ignoring the annoyed hiss from Akhor as the dragon relocated himself to her shoulder. "We got what you asked for," he told her as he helped her over to a chair, concerned by how weak she seemed. "We hope you don't mind, but we got ourselves some choco bars."

"So long as you give me a few of them I don't care."

"Deal," he agreed, digging through the bag for a moment before producing a bottle of Gatorade and some Tylenol, frowning at her when she immediately tore the cap off the drink and downed four extra-strength pills. "You becareful."

"Yeah, yeah."

Rolling his eyes, he dumped the small pile of chocolate bars onto the table, feeling the symbiote's hunger. The chemical phenethylamine that the other needed to stay healthy and sane were found in human brains, it was also found in chocolate. And it was a lot more socially acceptable to pig out on choco bars than the alternative. Even before he had grabbed the first bar, the symbiote had flushed black, the white emblem appearing on his chest as the other formed it's mask over his face, long tongue already curling around one of the bars.

Knowing that they weren't alone, both he and the symbiote tried to keep to good manners, though more than once he caught Lashana hiding a snicker or Akhor grimacing in disgust. It wasn't until she tucked her hair behind her ears and snagged a bar that he really looked at her, the symbiote licking the chocolate from their fangs as he frowned at her curiously, seeing her pointed ears for the first time. "You said you were half-human."

She paused in mid-chew of a piece of chocolate and returned his frown for a moment before sighing. "Elven. I'm half-elven"

"Elven? As in, elves?" He paused, then chuckled and shook his head. "Oddly enough I'm not even surprised by that."

"Good," she murmured, breaking off a piece of chocolate and holding it up to Akhor, who quickly grabbed the sweet treat and sunk his fangs into it.

"You sound a little bitter."

"Well.... y'know, being a halfblood...." She shrugged and took a drink of her Gatorade. "Too human to be with the Elves and too Elven to be with the humans."

He sighed at that, the symbiote picking up on his sympathy as it removed itself from his face. "We know a little of that," he told her, seeing her glance at him warily as she nibbled on her bar of chocolate. "You know of the other's history, of why it is an outcast to it's own kind."

"It.... didn't believe in taking over it's host. It sought to join, to belong rather to dominate."

He nodded in agreement, then glanced away and rubbed at the back of his neck. "_I'm_ not exactly accepted amongst humans either. It's.... lonely, isn't it?"

"It used to be," she whispered as she rose a hand to scratch Akhor's head. "But I've learned to live with it. It's worth it, because when you think about it, if things hadn't happened the way they had, and if you hadn't made the choices you did.... would you have been proud of what you would have become?"

"We didn't think you were the philosophical type," he mused.

"I'm not. Not really. I just.... I've seen a lot is all." She swirled her drink in the bottle and chuckled wryly. "I don't think I've ever had this sort of conversation with anyone. Looks like you got under my radar. I'll have to fix that."

"Why?" Avoiding her gaze, he grabbed another chocolate bar and waited until the symbiote had covered his face before taking a bite out of the bar. "We won't tell anyone. Besides, it has been a while since we.... since _I_ could talk to someone who understood."

"Ah, well, _I_ have far too many people sticking their noses into my business as it is...." she paused for a moment, then shook her head a little and smirked. "But I'm willing to listen, so long as you don't butt into my affairs."

Eddie chuckled at that and saluted with a chocolate bar. "Deal. Now, to business - and not yours. What are we going to do for tonight? After last evening, we think that a change in plans is in order."

"Ditto." Sighing, she swept some chocolate bar wrappings into a wastebasket and frowned at the map she uncovered, feeling Akhor shift so that he was draped across her shoulders. "But I'm running out of ideas. I _have_ to stop that thing, and _soon_. Tomorrow's the last day I have!"

"A direct assault is out of the question, at least, it is when we're on it's turf. Is it possible to lure it into a trap?"

"I dunno. Normally, I'd say 'yes', but this isn't a normal demon. I've never fought one that was so.... intelligent."

"Oh?" Curious now, he leaned forward and shook a chocolate bar at her. "And how many of these 'demons' have you fought?"

Akhor shrugged as she looked at him. ::Don't look at me. I lost count after fifty.::

"Well alot of help you are," she teased as she gave him another piece of chocolate. "Anyway, truthfully, I can't say. _I_ lost count after seventy. But I've been dealing with the majority of them in the past year."

"Impressive! But why all in the past year?"

"Mazoku - the demons - are attracted by power," she said evasively. "My best friend and I.... we're the most powerful sorceresses around."

"Ah, another secret you won't tell us. Hardly fair, considering that you know all about us!" He saw her wince and continued. "But that's a conversation for a later day. So! The trap? Is it possible or not?"

Lashana frowned down at the map, eyeing the next section of town that the Mazoku would most probably strike in, the last chance they had to stop it before it finished the pentagram. After a moment, she shifted her gaze to her right hand as she magicked up a sphere of golden light, staring into it curiously for a few heartbeats before fisting her hand. "I might be able to trap it with magicks. Magicks more powerful than my everyday spells, more powerful than you've seen. It will be drawn to me...." she paused and rose her gaze to those pale markings on the symbiote's mask. "If I Heal you, will you be able to hold it off while I weave the spell?"

A rather evil grin spread over the symbiote mask, rows of fangs glinting hungrily. "We'll do that and more! We owe it pain, and we intend to repay ten fold!"

"Um.... right. And speaking of that...." Satisfied that the Tylenol had wiped away the majority of her headache, she placed her hands on the tabletop and slowly pushed herself to her feet, sighing in relief when no pain pounded through her head. _Yatta._ "Alright, let me see your shoulder. And don't drool on me."

"We resent that," he muttered as the symbiote flowed away from his face and chest, baring his wounded shoulder. Even with the other blocking his pain receptors, he could still feel the dull ache of it, and he tried his best to hide a wince when she gently touched the inflamed bite mark.

"It still hurts that much?" she asked in surprise, having seen his slight grimace. When he nodded, she frowned and gathered her magicks. "Alright, hold still. This'll go a lot easier than last time." Taking a deep breath, she mentally ran through the incantation and lowered her hands to his shoulder, watching as the warm blue light that emanated from her palms seeped into his flesh, the spell knitting the wounded skin and tissue with ridiculous ease.

She pulled away less than a minute later, smirking in satisfaction, and he frowned curiously as he twisted to look at his shoulder, eyes widening in wonder as he rose a hand to touch the knitted flesh. Even the symbiote seemed a little shocked as it flowed up to cover his torso again, fluttering over his shoulder as if checking the job Lashana had done before settling down.

"We're impressed," Eddie admitted with a smile. "Thank you."

"No prob," she shrugged, looking around the room for a moment before locating her boots an going to retrieve them. "What time is it anyway? Other than 'dark'."

::Around nine,:: Akhor guessed, sinking his talons into the material of her shirt as she slipped her boots on and knelt to tie the laces. ::CSI just started.::

"Aww, I'm missing my favourite show!" Sulking slightly, she stood again and tugged her shirt back into place before pushing the sleeves of the shirt up to her elbows, exposing the small black runes that adorned her arms where the spines usually extended from, glancing at Eddie when he made a small noise of surprise. "I.... uh.... recently got an upgrade in power. It came with these." As she spoke, she tensed the muscles of her arms and pulled on a bit of her magick, wincing when the spines ripped out of her arms, glinting wickedly in the light of the room.

"That must hurt," he murmured, frowning when she shrugged and went to start rolling up the sleeves of her jacket. "How long have you had those?"

"Little over a year," she told him, sighing when he made a small hum of interest. "Oh hush. Leave me alone, will ya?" Satisfied that the sleeves of her jacket were high enough not to interfere with her new weapons, she concentrated and watched as the spines along her arms shifted and lay flat against her skin, allowing her to pull the mid-thigh duster on without damaging the leather. Once her arms were through the sleeves, she let the spines rise again, wincing a little at the slight pinch the movement gave her.

"Are we not allowed to be curious?" he asked innocently, arching an eyebrow at her quizzically when she turned to look at him.

"You are, just not about me. There are things I _can't_ tell you. Not without...." she paused and tried to think of a way to make him understand. "Not without telling a secret that must not be told. Not here. I don't want to endanger this dimension any more than it already is. Ever since the demon broke through the barrier to get here, this world is on the knife's edge. Until the demon is returned to it's proper dimension, I have to be very careful of what I say, and of what I do. I'm not native to this world, what I say or do could either save it or annihilate it."

He frowned at that, raising a taloned hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "That gives us an idea. Instead of trapping the demon, is it possible to merely portal it to another world? A place where, as you mentioned before, you could go 'all out'?"

Akhor's eyes widened. ::Why didn't we think of that?::

"That's brilliant! But where to portal it to?" Mind whirling, she folded her arms over her chest and paced the length of the room, her eyes gaining a 'far away' look as she ran through the numerous dimensions she knew of. "Bringing it to a different dimension would still leave me with the problem that it'd be immune to my spells.... unless...."

::Unless you send it to the astral plane!:: Akhor finished her thought for her. ::It'd still be hard to beat, but spells would affect it!::

"Yes!" Grinning, she smacked her right fist into her left palm, then headed for the door, yelping in surprise when a lasso of webbing curled around her hips.

"And where do we fit into all of this?" Eddie asked as he stood and walked over to her, ripping the webbing from her jacket. "Are you planning to merely leave us behind?"

She frowned. "I was thinking about it," she admitted. "It'd be safer for you if you stayed here, in your own dimension."

"Safer in what sense, exactly? Besides, we promised to help you destroy this thing, and you, whether you want to admit it or not, need all the help you can get."

::He's got a point,:: Akhor whispered to her, falling silent when she glared at him. 

Still frowning, Lashana rose a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Alright. Alright. You can come along. But the instant I think you're in over your head I'm sending you back to San Fran!"

He held up his hands as if trying to defend himself from her and smirked. "Fair enough."

"Good. Great. C'mon!" Aura flaring, she turned and tapped a finger against the door, smiling slightly as a portal illuminated the doorway as it snapped open, swirling with golden black light. Grabbing his wrist, she proceeded to drag Eddie after her as she stepped through, grimacing as the cold winter air hit her full on as she walked out onto the street where she had meet Justin those few nights past. "Ugh, I hate winter."

"It's not _that_ cold,"he admonished her as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

"Elves hate winter," she muttered. "Some more than others."

"You mean you more than others."

"Shaddup."

He chuckled and let the symbiote cover his face with their Venom visage before looking around, spotting a good rooftop to watch from almost immediately. Not bothering to ask, he grabbed Lashana around her waist and shot out a webline, effortlessly slinging them up onto the ledge and smirking when Akhor hissed at him in annoyance. He completely missed the glare that the Elf sent him as he released her and turned to survey the street again, the symbiote fluttering over his skin in anticipation of another chance to fight the one that had harmed them so badly.

In the end, when the demon finally did attack, he could have cursed himself for his stupidity of taking his gaze off of Lashana for even one moment. He should have known that she would have done some sort of spell to attract the demon, some sort of damnable belief that she had to protect him for his own good. Even before he had fully turned to look towards her, she already had a portal open and was forcing the demon back with savage punches and a few spells that she sent right into it's face at point-blank range.

She glanced at him then, and he felt his stomach bottom out when he suddenly realised her plan. She had never even thought about bringing him along through the portal, instead she was going to leave him behind while she risked her life to take out the demon on her own. _Or is it that she doesn't want us to see her go all out, no holds barred?_ Pushing his internal musings aside, he made a mad dash for the portal as she finally flying tackled the demon, sending them both tumbling through the glowing doorway, and he made a last ditch attempt to reach it in time, only to have it snap shut at his talontips, leaving him alone on the rooftop.

~*~

::Are you _insane?!_:: Akhor shrieked into Lashana's thoughts as he threw himself into the air, looking back at the portal as it closed, cutting them off from Venom's help. ::Why?!::

"Because this is something only I can do," she whispered to him as she closed her eyes and called upon her power as an Avatar of Chaos. Immediately, golden warmth flooded her senses, a quiet gasp leaving her as she tilted her head back and smiled, overwhelmed by the sensation of sheer _power_ flooding her every cell. When she opened her eyes again, they were pure gold with elliptical iris', her hair shining brilliant golden black, and she gave the demon a fanged grin as she smirked at him. "Well, I don't think you're going to be much of a problem after this."

It hissed at her lowly, eyes narrowing. "More of a problem than you think, _Avatar!_"

"Oh?" she mused as they began to circle each other, Akhor a worried presence at her back as he kept pace with her. "And why's that, hmm? I've reinforced the dimensional barriers, there's no way you can get out of here."

The Mazoku chuckled darkly and morphed into a humanoid form, dark black hair hung into blood red eyes, the slim yet athletic figure hiding the demon's true strength. "I don't _want_ to escape. In a few minutes, I won't _have _to. You're going to willingly help me leave."

"Oh, I don't think so!" she laughed, cracking her knuckles as she dropped into a fighting stance. "I would never let someone like you jeopardise an entire _world_."

He tilted his head to the side and smiled. "Who said you're going to get an actual say in the matter?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and bafflement, those few seconds of confusion costing her dearly as the Mazoku phased, moving faster than lightning as he slammed his elbow into her gut, winding her as well as sending her flying backwards. She hit the 'ground' hard, rolling shakily to her feet and clutching at her ribs with her left hand as she glared up at him, wanting nothing more than to rip that smirk off his face with her bare hands, an urge that she happily followed through on as she lunged at him.

To her shock and horror, he moved just as quickly as she did, making them evenly matched as they traded punches and kicks, each seemingly knowing eachothers moves perfectly, enabling them to counter every move the other made. To her, this was impossible, she was the _Avatar_ no Mazoku should have been able to do this! She had trained under the best, fought against demons that put this one to shame, how was he able to match her so effortlessly?!

Panic slowly took her over as she spun and landed a solid roundhouse kick to the demon's chest, forcing him backwards a bit before he grabbed her ankle and threw her aside, leaving her to slam to the ground. Dazed, she forced herself to her feet and grabbed her sword out of a portal, forcing herself to calm down as she took a ready stance, her gaze darkening when the Mazoku copied her and formed his own katana blade. Not willing to give him the upper hand, she attacked first, blinding him with a spell before she swung her blade and literally sliced his right hand off, blade and all.

Instead of panicking however, he merely looked down at his chopped appendage, gave her a smirk, then calmly scooped up his hand and reattached it to his arm, rotating his wrist to test the range of motion he had afterwards. "Nice. Very nice."

She grimaced. "Happy to be of entertainment value," she muttered sourly, gasping when Akhor roared from above her and dive-bombed the Mazoku, fire belching from his jaws as he shot past the demon. Just as the Mazoku snarled and turned to attack the little dragon, she threw herself forward again and crossed blades with him, the two of them each trying to overpower the other in another test of strength. She threw every ounce of power into the fight, growling in amusement when she started to shove him backwards, overbalancing him enough to allow her to kick him away.

Starting to catch on as to how to beat him, she didn't allow him to recover, choosing instead to push on her attack, her aura flaring up around her as she gathered magick to herself and launched a full power fireball at him, the explosion rocking the ground around her as he was thrown into the air. 

Just before he landed, black chaos power swirled up around her, lifting her hair off her shoulders as she murmured the incantation to a Giga Slave, one of the most destructive spells she knew of, and one of the most powerful as well. This she loosed at point-blank range, knowing that she was immune to the backlash of energy that washed over her as she chaos spell tore and ripped at the Mazoku, eliciting a shriek of rage and pain from him that sent a wave of relief and triumph through her. _Maybe I can win this after all._

Instead of charging in like last time, she held back and waited for the smoke to clear, golden eyes narrowing as she scowled at the spot where she thought the Mazoku to be, her eyes widening when the smoke cleared to revel absolutely nothing. Startled, she raked her gaze over her surroundings, her heart skipping a beat when she heard Akhor scream of warning seconds before the demon landed on her.

"You still haven't caught on, have you?" the Mazoku laughed as he pinned her, his sword at her throat as he stood over her, the point of it drawing blood. "I _wanted_ you to do something like this! I've been waiting ever since I felt you appear in San Francisco!" When she glared up at him and started to summon another spell, he hissed and her and dropped, slamming his knee into her ribcage with enough force to drive the air from her. "You see, _you're_ my last sacrifice. And when I kill you tomorrow night, I'll absorb your powers." As he spoke, he grasped her throat and lifted her off the ground, reaching for the Dark Power within her with his own corrupted soul. "I just need you to obey me until you're no longer useful."

Coldness gripped her very spirit as she felt his thoughts pressing down on hers, her own soul fighting against the tendrils of control that he was wrapping around her. Her mind reeled as he coaxed the darkness within her to take control, to rise from the place in her soul that had previously contained it to run free, that dark presence joining with the Mazoku's to blast her thoughts into incoherency and grey unconsciousness.

She felt Akhor struggling to telepathically protect her mind, to boost her thoughts, but in the end it was the Mazoku that proved stronger. She had never thought that she was so vulnerable to telepathic attacks, and this was the worst time for her to discover that she was. But just as the last of her mind was blasted into darkness, she used that last little bit of rebellion within her to envelop Akhor in a bubble of magick that sent him rocketing through time and space, an unstable portal flaring open in the heart of San Fran to dump him onto a rooftop before the mystical doorway imploded onto itself.

Meanwhile, in the Golden Gate park, a black portal flared open, gently depositing the Mazoku onto a worn path as he stepped through it, his blood red gaze sweeping over his surroundings before he turned to gaze at the city. "The little whelp escaped. Well, no matter. There's nothing that little lizard can do to stop me now." Smiling crookedly, he turned and looked at the portal and held out a hand. "Come my little beauty, shall we paint the town red?"

Immediately, a black taloned hand reached from the portal to take his, allowing him to pull it's owner through the doorway. Black hair adorned the woman who joined him, fangs peeking out from between black coloured lips that spread in a bloodthirsty smile. Sharply pointed ears could be spotted under the long mane of black as she turned pure black eyes to regard the demon in front of her, a cool, emotionless voice whispering it's answer to the Mazoku's question: "I desire nothing else....Master." 

TBC


	5. Even in the Darkness, there is still lig...

Author's Note: This chapter has been rewritten. I thank Lady Dementia for the nudge and inspiration to make this a better chapter!

Disclaimer: I own only Lashana and Akhor. Telca belongs to herself.

In the darkness of midnight, a small white form flew over the rooftops, heart and wings beating madly as he searched for that one intersection, that one sewer grate that he knew would lead him down into the depths of San Fran, down into the city that lived and thrived beneath the urban streets, the city that Venom protected. He cursed himself for his stupidity, hating how he hadn't been able to forsee Lashana's plan to head into a major fight without Venom as backup.

Cold wind buffeted him as he flew, nearly sending him into an uncontrollable dive, but he somehow managed to pull on more strength inside himself and straightened his wings, riding the wind instead of folding under it. His sharp gaze cut across the streets below him, catching sight of a familiar street sign, his hopes rising as he dove down and cut around a building, nearly roaring in triumph when he spotted the grate he had been looking for.

Making sure there were no cars on the way, he landed on the curb and tried to figure out how he was going to lift it on his own, his thoughts whirling before he spotted an open space just under the sidewalk that was meant to be a runoff for rainwater. Hoping that his hunch was right, he wriggled through it, grimacing at the grime that came off onto his pristine white scales as he did so. His hunch, however, turned true, and he spread his tired wings once more, following his memory and his instincts as he headed down a tunnel, then turned down another, wings beating the air wearily as he struggled to stay airborne.

The tunnels were pitch black, and even his night vision was barely able to peirce the darkness, so blind was he that there were times where only the sensation of his wingtips hitting solid rock gave him enough warning to bank sideways to avoid running headlong into a wall. Exhaustion and panic were taking their toll on him, laboring his breathing, making his wingbeats irratic, and he clawed at the air, struggling to keep going.

The destruction of the link between him and Lashana had taken it's toll, leaving him reeling and wanting to merely collapse and mourn his loss, but the knowledge that there was a slim chance that she could be saved kept him going, kept his wings beating and his attention focused, until finally dim light broke through the darkness, giving him a beacon to fly towards as he broke through into the underground city.

There, he collapsed, hitting the ground hard as he rolled, wings mantling, and as he came to a stop, he let out a long keen of grief and pain both vocally and telepathically, his exhaustion taking it's toll as he lay limp on the hard cobblestones, vaguely aware of the voices and minds that were now around him as his eyes fluttered closed, his weariness overtaking him.

"What is it?"

"I think it's some sort of lizard."

"But look, it's got wings!"

"Don't touch it!"

"You think it's dead?"

"No! Look, it's breathing!"

"It looks hurt."

"What's going on?"

A familiar mind joined the others, and Akhor cracked an eye open to look up at a blur of faces, one looming closer than the others as hands picked him up. :Eddie...:

"Oh my God." Eyes wide, Eddie cradled the small form to himself, the symbiote flushing black around him as he rose his free hand and shot out a webline, leaping into the air and swinging around a building, away from the crowd. "Akhor! What happened? Where's Lashana?"

:Lost... The demon has her...:

The dragons mind-voice sounded so tired, so entirely empty of life that it actually frightened him, thoughts that the dragon might actually die in his arms adding new strength to him as he shot around another building then landed against a wall, reaching out to open a window and crawl through it into his apartment. The symbiote flowed away from his face as he gently set the dragon on the small table in the kitchen then went to pour water from a bottle into a saucer, carrying it back to the exhausted and filthy dragon.

Scenting water, Akhor rose his head and dipped his muzzle into the cool clean liquid, drinking his fill. The sensation of a cool wet cloth on his scales made him glance over at Eddie as the human used a towel to wipe some of the grime and filth from him, letting his natural white scales shine through the dirt. :Lashana. She's gone.:

"Gone?" Eddie frowned, his hand pausing over the dragon's flank. "Dead?"

:No.: Tired, Akhor rested his head on the rim of the saucer and sighed. :The demon, the Mazoku. It _wanted_ her to try to trap it. It took over her mind. She's like a puppet now, and tomorrow night he's going to kill her, and she won't... she won't want to stop him:

The last was a horrified cry that resonated loudly through his mind, and Eddie hid a wince as he stared down at the small white form that was curling in upon itself, wings shaking as Akhor cried softly, mourning the loss of the one that he had been linked to. The symbiote fluttered over his skin as the alien relayed it's own opinion on the current situation, and Eddie nodded in agreement as he reached out to rest a hand on the small form. "Can you track her, Akhor? Can you lead us to her?"

Golden eyes blinked tears away as the dragon looked up at the human. :I...I can try. But what good will that do? She's like the Mazoku now, and tomorrow morning, this world will be as dead as her soul is:

"Not if you help us!" Eddie frowned. "There has to be a way to stop them both without forfiting Lashana's life."

:There is none. Not while the Mazoku controls her.:

"Then how to we break it's hold?"

Akhor shook his head sadly. :I don't know. It's telepathic... so strong. It had the upper hand before either of us could stop him... Even with the power of a Goddess, Lashana didn't stand a chance...:

"The power of a..." Frowning Eddie ran a hand over his face and sighed. "We think it's time you tell us exactly _what_ she is."

Wondering what L-Sama would think of him telling a mortal about her Avatar, the little dragon spent a few quiet moments taking another drink from the saucer, turning the thought over in his mind. :You do realise that I'm not exactly _allowed_ to tell you, right: When Eddie didn't respond, he sighed heavily and russled his wings. :Alright, alright. A little over a year ago, a demonic highlord kidnapped and tortured Lashana's Soul Bonded. In order to defeat him, she had to call upon magicks that no mortal had the right to call upon. She... died, as a result.:

"Died? Then how--"

:Let me finish. The power she had called upon belonged to the Goddess of All, the Lord of Nightmares. L-Sama, having given her power to Lashana because of the pure wishes of her heart, chose to make Lashana her Avatar. Her Chaos Knight...:

"So... In return for being ressurected, she runs around hunting down demons for this Goddess?"

:Sort of. The Mazokus that Lashana hunts are those who use L-Sama's Chaos without her permission. And because most of the time those Mazoku are killing hordes of people and generally trying to destroy a world.:

"That's not very comforting."

Akhor shrugged. :It wasn't meant to be.:

"Right." Sighing, Eddie rose a hand to massage the back of his neck, feeling the symbiote flutter over his skin when it picked up his rising anxiety. "So, this demon, it's using L-Sama's chaos... and that's how it managed to brainwash Lashana?"

:Pretty much. A more accurate way to put it would be to say that it used the Chaos to call to the darkness that lives within her.: When it was obvious that the human didn't understand, he frowned and tried to explain it. :See, the Chaos power, it's both good _and_ evil. The good adds to Lashana's own inner light, but the evil, the evil knaws at her soul, always trying to get free, to pull on her own dark tendencies. The demon sensed that evil, and used it's own ties to the Chaos to bring it to the surface, effectively locking that part that is 'good' away.:

"This smacks of multiple personalities," he muttered sourly.

:Things get complicated when you mix a Goddess' power into the equation: Akhor said softly. :Lashana knew it could happen, she thought she was strong enough to keep it from happening... we never thought that someone would use telepathy to bring it to the surface.:

He didn't know what worried him more, the fact that there was a lunatic demon running around or the fact that all this was starting to make sense. "Alright. So, how to we get her back? You're telepathic, can't you... hack her brain or something?"

The white dragon shook his head. :The demon's too powerful. I'm not a match for him.:

Another sigh left him as he ran a hand over his face. "So where does that leave us? What?" He turned his thoughts inward as the symbiote offered up a suggestion, his eyes narrowing as he listened to his other. "We could do that? A joining?"

:Who has the multiple personalities now: Akhor mused, grinning when Eddie glared at him. :Sorry. I have my mothers sense of humour.:

"Mm. We could see where that could be a problem."

:Hey:

"Anyway, what we were saying, is that there might be a way that we could... reach her. It would entitle her becoming a part of us for a while."

:I'm not sure I like this: Akhor muttered. :Become a part of you, how:

Eddie frowned. "If we could stun her for a short time, my other would extend itself around her and attempt to reach what you termed the 'good' part of her consciousness."

:No go. It'd leave you open to the Mazoku's attack.:

"We'd only need a few moments."

Feeling a bit stronger, Akhor rose to his feet, then shook himself, sending bits of dirt flying everywhere. :I don't know.:

"If you have a better idea, we'd love to hear it," he said, eyeing the dragon a little sourly. "We're doing this at great risk to ourselves."

:I know. I know. And I appreciate it. I just... I can't sense her anymore. It's the first time I've been alone...: Akhor sighed heavily, wings drooping for a moment before he gave himself another shake. :Nevermind.:

Eddie's gaze softened as he looked at the dragon, remembering a time when his other had been taken from him, and how alone he'd felt. Akhor had been linked to the elf just as he was tied to the symbiote, the shock of such a violent separation must have been tramatic for the little dragon. "You should get some rest," he said at last, meeting the surprised golden gaze of the dragon. "It'll be better to wait until nightfall before starting the search."

:N-nightfall? Why can't we go now? We can't just _leave_ her:

The near panic in the mind voice made Eddie wince. "Even Lashana said that the demon only works at night. It'd just be a waste of energy to go looking for them now."

:But that's my mother you're talking about: Akhor yelled, wings mantling wildly as he glared at the human.

"I _know_ that!" The sharp retort made the dragon pause, and Eddie sighed as he forced himself to soften his tone. "I know. But we have to wait."

Akhor's anger left him as quickly as it had come, and he moaned thinly as he did a controlled collaspse onto the table top, wings slumped. :I want my mother...:

There was a long pause before Eddie moved to sit at the table, hesitantly extending a hand out to the dragon and sighing in sympathy when Akhor crawled forward and arched his head against his wrist in a bid for comfort. It was going to be a long, nerve wracking day.

The moon was high in the night sky when Venom swung his way between a couple of buildings, another web line shooting out to snag the corner of an apartment complex as he launched himself into the air, his usual dark guise broken by the small white form that clung to his left shoulder, it's tail firmly looped around his neck to anchor itself.

:Where are we going:

"We have a photographic memory. We remember where the centre of the pentagram is. If what you said is accurate, then the demon will be bringing Lashana there to enact his last sacrifice," Eddie replied as he swung out over a smaller building, talons gripping the webline securely. "Are you ready for this?"

:Yes: Akhor growled softly. He had spent most of the day sleeping fitfully, wracked with nightmares about Lashana, the still freshly broken link a gaping hole in his consciousness. :I want her back.:

The tone in the dragons voice made it quite clear what mood he was in. "Alright. Can you sense anything?"

There was a pause. :I, uh, can't open myself to scan the area: Akhor replied meekly. :My telepathy is still suffering from the loss of the link.:

"Oh." That was unfortunate, but not distressing. At least not at the moment. "We're here." As he spoke, he backflipped over an alley and landed in a crouch on a rooftop, the symbiote sending out a few questing tendrils as he straightened and looked around, eyeing the various hiding places amongst the heavy piping that covered the roof.

A chuckle echoed through the air as the human-formed demon strolled out into the light, smiling when Venom growled warningly and tensed. "Ah, finally. We've been waiting for you. Eddie, is it?" The Mazoku grinned widey, showing ragged fangs. "I never forget the taste of my prey. And you were very delectible, I must admit."

"And your liver will go well with a nice chianti, what of it?" Venom retorted angrily.

"Such a fighting spirit. The perfect thing for my new toy to feed on. Isn't that right, my dear?"

A silky laugh flitted through the winds as a dark feminine form stepped out to join the Mazoku, pure black eyes glinting from the moonlight as she fairly glided out into the open. "Yes, Master," she purred, black lips pulling back from sharp canines as she turned to grin at the human/alien hybrid, a strand of her black hair falling into her face as she eyed her new prey. "He doesn't look so tough."

"My God..." Shocked, Eddie actually took a step backwards at the sight of her. What had once been the features of a woman who was full of life was now replaced with something all together demonic, and he hid a shudder when she grinned at him and licked her lips, a condescending giggle floating over to him as she turned and draped herself over the Mazoku, playfully tracing a circle on his chest with a black talon. Her jacket was tied around her waist while her pants held many a tear in them, showing a lot of skin from her ankles to her upper thighs, a look that was matched by what remained of her shirt. What was once long sleeved had been turned into a sleeveless halter top, the material barely covering her black bra while it left her stomach completely bare, the black spines that decorated the back of her arms reflecting the light of the moon with a sickening sheen. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"Oh, nothing grand," the demon mused as he ran a hand through the raven locks of the demoness. "Just sealed her soul away. Hell would be a rather appropriate term for what she's experiencing. Meanwhile, this beauty of the night is going to keep you occupied while I work on the spell, and then, she's going to sacrifice herself, _willingly_, aren't you, my dear?"

"I'd do anything for you, Master," she whispered seductively as she stood on tiptoe and captured the Mazoku's lips with hers.

Akhor's jaw dropped. :Oh that's disgusting.:

Eddie was inclined to agree, especially when the kiss stretched into the minute mark, the two parties seemingly forgetting that they had an audience.

"Mm." Smiling, the demoness slowly pulled her lips away from her Masters, licking his lips and then her own, her gaze darting to the human. "Can I kill him? Can I bathe in his blood and drink from his beating heart?"

The Mazoku chuckled and patted her on the head. "That and more. He's yours to play with. Just keep him away from the circle."

"With pleasure." A grin spread over her lips as she turned to face the human, cracking her knuckles while she strode forward, moving her hips suggestively as she walked up until she was only a few feet away from him. "Well? Are we going to play, little toy?"

"Oh, we'll play with you alright," Eddie growled as he attacked, trying to land a punch, the symbiotes knife-edged peusedopods cutting into the flesh of her arms and stomach before she grabbed his arm and tossed him aside as if he weighed nothing. He was vaguely aware of Akhor leaping from his shoulder as he landed on his feet and lunged at her again, the symbiote trying to pin her arms to her sides in order to allow it's human host to grab her.

But the plan went awry, and Eddie grimaced as the symbiote's pain flashed through his own nerves, glaring at the woman as she used the knife-sharp spines on her arms to slice through his other. She giggled then, and he reacted too slowly as she spun and drove the spines on her arm into his right side, drawing a scream from him as they tore through symbiote and flesh alike, one of them grating against his ribs when she danced away and turned to smile at him serenely, obviously enjoying his pain. The symbiote flowed over his wounds, acting as both stuture and bandage as the other used it's advanced healing abilities to stop the bleeding, he thought it a miracle that she hadn't sliced into anything vital.

She seemed to sense his thoughts as she looked up from regarding the cuts that laced her arms. "I don't want you to die too soon, little pet."

"We're not your 'pet'," he snarled as he rose an arm and loosed a patch of webbing right into her face, darting forward when she screeched and rose her hands to tear the offensive webbing away. While she was trying to free herself, he ran forward and hammerblowed her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground.

:Don't _hurt_ her: Akhor yelled into his mind. :She's not in control of herself! It's not her fault:

"I don't think I _can_ hurt her!" Eddie shot back as she snarled and ripped the webbing from her skin, throwing it aside as she rolled onto her back then loosed a ball of black fire at point blank range, forcing him backwards. As the flames licked at his other, he hopped out of it's range, then leapt over them, cursing when he jumped right into a roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling.

"_That_ was not very amusing," the demoness hissed as she rubbed at her cheek, where the removal of the webbing had taken a layer of skin with it.

"Aw, too bad," he drawled, fangs gritting. "Didn't we mention that we don't play nice?"

The almost non-chalant look on her face gave way to full fledged rage and bloodlust, a look that he had been waiting for. If he could get her angry, and reacting on emotions and frustration, then she might make a mistake that would allow him to grab her long enough for his other to try to break through the telepathic barriers that was keeping her true consciousness at bay. It was a long shot, but he was willing to bet his life on it, having seen that she as a whole was a very emotional person.

As she lunged at him, he quickly guaged her line of attack and sidestepped, blocking her first hit but taking the second in his good side. Before she could react, he caught her with a strong uppercut to her jaw, sending her staggering backwards before he pressed his new advantage, his knee hitting her in the stomach hard enough to wind her before he backhanded her. She dropped to one knee, one hand cradling her jaw while the other was pressed flat against the ground, and he didn't realise the danger until she looked up at him, her face a twisted mask of rage.

_Her speed is astounding_, a part of his mind mused as she spun while in a crouch, trying to knock his feet out from under him, and, when that trick failed, she merely lunged at him, her talons slashing into his left shoulder, drawing blood. As he reeled from the unexpected pain, she snap-kicked him in the face, then drove her talons into the wounds on his right side, tearing a scream from him as she reached past his skin into his flesh, talons grating against the bone of his ribs. Reacting to his pain and fear, the symbiote interposed itself between them, shoving her backwards with it's entire strength, the push sending her sprawling across the roof while he dropped to his knees and clutched at his side, his breaths sending agony through him. _She actually knicked a lung..._

She giggled as she rose to her feet, shaking dirt out of her hair before she looked at her bloody right hand, then turned her gaze to him where he kneeled. Slowly, as he watched, she slid her index finger into her mouth and sucked it clean of blood, licking at her lips afterwards. "Mm. My Master does have exquisite taste."

Eddie mustered up enough attitude to sneer at her. "Glad to know that we're a rare vintage," he muttered, growling when she threw back her head and laughed.

A shriek sounded from behind her then, and they both turned their gazes in that direction as the Mazoku grabbed Akhor out of the air and threw him to the ground, his voice sharp as he rebuked her. "I told you to keep them away from the circle!"

Wincing, she bowed her head. "Forgive me," she whispered, her gaze falling on the small white form at her feet. "I'll retify this immediately."

"No!" As she bent to drive her talons through the dragon, Eddie lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and effectively pinning her own arms to her sides. "Now we play on our terms," he breathed into her ear as she struggled to no avail. His other moved then, flowing between them and curling it's tendrils around her, forcing it's consciousness into hers as it envelloped her in its blackness, effectively preventing her from moving a single finger. He could sense it's attempts to reach her, could sense another colder presence at the edge of his thoughts, and for a moment he was afraid that her darkness would infect the symbiote.

She screamed then, a horrible sound, but he could detect a desperation to that cry, a sense that his other was winning, wearing away at the evil that had taken over and making room for the light. Just as hope was beginning to flourish within him, she broke free with a fantastic show of strength, her eyes a glow with raw hatred as she spun and rose her hands, flames engulfing him in their white hot tongues of pain. Every nerve was aflame in an ocean of fire, and all he could do was break under it's force, his voice going raw from his screams as he collapsed and tried to protect himself, curling into a ball at the far edge of the roof as she lobbed spell after spell at him.

"That's enough!"

Eddie gasped in pain as the barrage halted, managing to peer through his now swollen right eye at the form that stood above him, a fireball in her hand. But the voice that had called out had frozen her in place, leaving her to merely stare down at him in sheer hatred as she spell fizzled out, proving that she was only a pawn to the wants and desires of the Mazoku.

Smiling at the waves of pain that were coming off of the human, the Mazoku extended a hand to his demoness. "Come, my dear. I am in need of your aid."

As if in a trance, she turned and walked over to him, bowing her head as he looked upon her scornfully, obviously less than empressed at the cuts and bruises that adorned her. But as she took his hand, a sick twisted smile spread over his lips, a chuckle leaving him as he guided her forward, into the centre of the pentagram that was burned into the roof.

"Now," he purred in her ear, sharp fangs nipping at the lobe. "Do as your Master wishes. Make me proud of you, little pet."

"Yes Master."

Struggling, Eddie slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the raised edge of the roof as he watched her raise her right hand to her left arm, a single talon gleaming in the moonlight as she slit her wrist open, letting her blood drip down onto the ground she stood on. Immeditately, the lines of the pentagram flared bright red, pulsing with a heartbeat of it's own as it fed from the power being willingly offered to it, but as he watched, Eddie suddenly realised what kind of a sacrifice was going to be required.

Raising his hand, the Mazoku extended a part of itself and formed it into a dagger, his smile growing into a full grin as he walked around the woman, who had her head bowed and eyes closed as the spell sucked the life and magick from her. "You were a good little pet," he crooned as he stepped up behind her, then rose the dagger to her throat. "But unfortunately, like all my other pets, I have to break you." Slowly, he exerted more pressure, the blade of the knife cutting into her flesh and drawing blood, the single line of red marking it's trail down her throat and into the valley of her breasts. "Too bad. I liked you."

His hand blurred as he drew the knife across her throat, a laugh leaving him as she instinctively rose a hand to her neck to staunch the blood, and he stepped back to admire his handiwork as the spell took full effect, beginning to gather very fatal dark magicks in what would be his final coup de grace to the city.

Dark, sickly looking lightning started to gather on the rooftop, striking the points of the pentagram numerous times, so many, that it was as if the flashes of light were one bright constant glow. The air gained a heavy feeling, the scent of ozone and an underlying sickly blood-like smell choking all who took in a breath. There was no thunder to accompany the lightning, instead, a low rumbling roar echoed through the night, growing in intensity until it lowered to a point below human hearing. The building shook though as the roar continued to lower into decibls too low for human ears. Dogs howled across the city, cats screamed and birds took to the air and wobbled as if intoxicated before dropping to the unforgiving ground.

The Mazoku backed towards the edge of the roof as the spell intensified, a gale-force wind encircling the building as more and more power crackled through the air. Blood began to drip from the elf's wrist as she continued to clutch at her throat. The madness that had previously gripped her seemed to have faded, leaving her a hollow, unresponsive form. Her eyes were blank, unseeing, only the fact that she was still standing gave any indication that she was still alive.

The low roar echoed through Eddie's body, tripling the pain from his wounds as he struggled to get to his feet, blood and bile rising into his mouth when he stiffled a scream of agony as something in his side crunched together. It was too much. Even his other couldn't block the amount of pain that cut across his nerves. He slumped back down, clutching at his left side as he gasped in shallow breaths, trying to force his vision to focus on the form that stood within the centre of the lightning.

"No choice," he muttered lowly, feeling the symbiote flutter over his skin when it sensed his thoughts. "If we don't, the entire _world_ will be destroyed..." Images and thoughts flowed into his mind as his other raised it's concerns and oppositions to his plan. "Yes, we have to! There's no other way!"

The symbiote shuddered, it didn't want to break their bond, even if it was for the good of the world. It would send pain through them both, physical and mental. And the other knew that trying to psychically attack the currently possessed elf's mind in order to free her would take every ounce of it's strength. It wasn't something that it, or Eddie, liked. It would be a sort of mental rape, and the other wasn't even convinced that it would work without Eddie's own mind to help. Eddie was the only reason the other had developed it's own personality, it's own independence. Without Eddie, without their bond, the other wasn't sure if it would still have that personality if it were to separate from the human, even for a moment.

But the symbiote understood the sacrifice that was needed. Understood the reasoning behind Eddie's decision, even though it found the thought distasteful. Sending a thought to Eddie telling him to stay alive - for without him, the other was certain that it would not be able to survive, so strong was their link - the symbiote flowed away from it's human host and partner.

The pentagram pulsed a deep, almost sickening red, sending invisible waves of rippling power into the sky. It was pure luck that the Mazoku was too busy revelling in the waves of dark power that were beginning to rend the fabric of the dimension apart to notice that a shadow that had no source was moving like a snake across the roof, twining through the lines of the pentagram and the runes therein, making it's way over to the form that had dropped to it's knees into a puddle of it's own blood.

By the time the Mazoku realised what was happening, it was already too late for him to do anything. Flowing like water, the symbiote envelloped the elf, leaving only her face bare as it forced itself into her mind. A scream split the air as the elf doubled over and clutched at her head, the lightning striking the pentagram flickering unsteadily as it's willing source of power wavered in it's convictions.

The symbiote was in pain. The possessed elf's thoughts were like fire, the flames of the corruption that currently held her mind cutting into it. But being bonded to Eddie had taught it much, and it pushed that pain aside as it delved deeper, seeking to find the dormant part of the elf's mind, knowing that once it awoke that part of her, it would not be fighting against such an overwhelming force on it's own.

While the other was aware that it had to be careful lest it severely damage the elf's mind, it also knew that time was sparse. The longer it was separated from Eddie, the more the pain progressed, an ache that was rapidly filling the emptyness of their bond. But if the Mazoku got to the symbiote before it completed it's task, everything would have been for nothing, and both it and Eddie would be dead.

-_wake up!_- Growling lowly, the symbiote threw caution to the winds and threw it's 'self' into the elf's mind, daring to partially bond itself to the woman as it fought against the fire tipped razor wire of the Mazoku's control that was poisoning her mind. For every hook of the Mazoku's power that it freed her from, three more took it's place, sinking so deep into her psyche that it was getting more inherantly dangerous for the symbiote to try to remove them by force.

Finding that it could no longer fight the Mazoku's hold on her unless it wanted to give her permanent and serious brain damage, it turned it's attention instead to freeing the part of her mind that was being repressed. The symbiote found that there were less barriers keeping her mind shackled than it expected, and while it was wary of hidden traps, it threw all of it's remaining energy into breaking her free, knowing that it was running out of time.

-_wake up!_-

The call seemed to come from far away, the unearthly voice almost hollow and devoid of emotion but not personality. It 'felt' cool, predatory and sinister, and yet it was radiating concern and fear. Her own mind felt weighed down, her thoughts sluggish and cold. Who was bothering her, and why? She was tired, and she couldn't understand why they were waking her. Couldn't they see that she was sleeping, curled up in a corner in order to fight away the icy chill that was seeping into her very soul?

-_wake up!_-

A frown marred her features as she rose her head from her arms, trying to peer through the darkness that encircled her in order to locate her unwanted visitor. She didn't _want_ to wake up. She was _tired._ Why couldn't whoever-it-was let her sleep?

-_lashana! wake up!_-

Lashana? Who was that? Was that supposed to be... her? She couldn't remember if she had a name or not. It didn't really matter before, after all, she just wanted to sleep. But, what if whomever was calling her knew her? Why would they be calling her anyway? It was still dark, people were supposed to sleep when it was dark, weren't they? And even if they _were_ calling her, how was she supposed to find them when she couldn't see anything except darkness?

-_fight!_-

Fight? What was she supposed to be fighting? And why? Fight to stay awake, or fight against an unseen enemy? Why was the voice confusing her so! She was _tired_, she didn't want to deal with this right now, she just wanted to _sleep._

-_you can't let the Mazoku win!_-

...Mazoku? Was that what she was supposed to be fighting? But why?

**Because if you don't, all will be destroyed.**

The second, new voice was accompanied with a brilliant light, and she was forced to throw an arm up to shield her eyes, so unused was she to anything but the darkness. When her vision had stabilised enough to not cause her pain, she peered through her fingers at the bright swathe of blue that was stretched out under her, warm golden light bathing her from above. What was this place? It was so odd, and yet... familiar.

-_lashana_-

**Lashana.**

The two voices were melding into one, growing in strength and volume until she had to cover her ears in a futile attempt to block them out. It became a roar, a hurricane of noise that shook her to her bones, barraging her ceaselessly.

-_eddie is dying_-

Eddie?

**Akhor is dying.**

Akhor?

-_wake up. eddie is dying. the world will die. wake up_-

The... world? Which world? Mine?

**You are my Knight. You have the power to break the Mazoku's hold on you, but first, you must _wake up._**

A knight... the Mazoku...

**You can't give up. Your best friend would not want you to give up. Your brother would not want you to give up. Your Bonded would not want you to give up.**

Best friend? Brother? ...Bonded... my Bonded... _Black..._

**WAKE UP, LASHANA!**

Unbidden, a keening wail escaped the elf's lips as her eyes opened wide, the blackness there bleeding away to be replaced by brilliant gold irises with black eliptical pupils that immediately shrunk to pinpricks. Pain like razorwire tore against every nerve, every thought, every breath. A seizure wracked her, as if she was touching a live wire, the spell that was in the middle of it's completion fizzling and crackling unsteadily as it's powersource fought against it.

Her hands curled into fists, her talons cutting deep into her palms. Something moved over and away from her, and if she had been more aware of her surroundings, she would have seen the symbiote release her and return to Eddie, who was watching her out of one partially swollen eye. Her blood pressure rose, her heatbeat racing fast enough that it made her light headed. Her breathing was ragged, lungs struggling to take in enough air to keep up with her heartbeat.

She was at war with herself, with the part of her that was still under the Mazoku's weakening control and the part that was trying to come to the surface once more. Her lips moved, as she struggled to speak, trying to call out to the one person who could hear her, no matter where she was. A spasm wracked her body again, and as if it had unlocked the part of her that was trying to communicate, she managed to take in a breath amongst a fit of hyperventilating, loosing it in a scream that held every ounce of pain, horror, terror and fear that she felt.

"**_BLACKWARGREYMON!_**"

Eddie shuddered at the cry, the emotion in it shaking him to his very core and bringing a set of shivers to the surface, despite the fact that his other had rejoined him and was doing it's best to block his pain receptors while trying to heal some of his life-threatening wounds in order to keep him alive. Whatever was happening, the symbiote seemed quite wary of it, especially since the Mazoku looked like it was ready for a fight.

The only sound now was the crackling of the spell, and the low roar of pressurised air that had become constant ever since the spell had started. The elf still looked like she was having uncontrollable seizures, the pentagram she was on constantly flashing from red to gold, as if it was sentient and it was fighting against her efforts to break the Mazoku's hold on her.

A sparkle to his left made him turn his head, his eyes widening when a silver portal expanded into existance. Even before it had finished opening, a mahogany haired woman stepped out onto the roof, her amber eyes narrowed in anger as she immediately turned towards the Mazoku. With every step she took, silvery highlights appeared in her hair, looking more and more like liquid silver than human hair as the wind gathered around her. Power shimmered around her, and his other fluttered over his skin nervously as the Mazoku looked towards her, then visibly backed away.

Whoever she was, if she made that demon afraid of her with just her presence, this was one woman he didn't want to piss off. The portal was still open, and despite the pain he was still experiencing, he forced himself to his feet, one hand clamped over his aching side as a huge shadow appeared in the mystical doorway, the seven foot creature towering over him as it gave him a curious look, then spun to look over at the elf, a worried yell leaving the creature as it ran towards her.

Heedless of the spell, Blackwargreymon shouldered his way though the crackling dome of power that was attempting to block his path to Lashana, kneeling to drive a fist into the nearest point of the pentagram, his hand going clean through the roof before he yanked himself free and moved to the elf's side.

The pentagram broken, the spell quickly fizzled out, leaving the air charged with energy and ozone. A blood-curling scream drew his gaze to Telca as she grasped the Mazoku by it's throat, silver flames licking at it's skin, leaving severe blisters and burns behind as those horrible flames slowly encased it, making every last breath, every last heartbeat a lesson of extreme agony. By the time she was done with it, the Mazoku was nothing except dust that fell from her fingers to alight upon the roof, and a disgusted look passed over her face as she used her boot to smother the last little bit of silver flame that flickered amongst the ashes.

A broken sob drew Black's gaze back to Lashana, who looked as if she had crumpled into herself. She was bent over, her arms wrapped around herself as she rested her forehead against the cement, her white hair matted with blood and dirt. Her body was wracked with shuddering gasps for air as she cried, hyperventilating with hysterics.

"_What did I do! _I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I hurt Akhor! I hurt Eddie! I almost destroyed _everything!_ I did this! _I did this! _I-I _saw_ everything. I tried _so hard_, but I couldn't get free and _stop myself!_ ...I saw _everything._ What I _did_, what I _said..._ I _kissed_ that _filthy--_"

As her voice hit a pitch of sheer panic, Black grimaced and hauled her into his arms, holding her as tight as he dared as she curled up against him, sobbing uncontrolably. She was covered in blood, and he knew by the scent of it that it was her blood. But far as he could tell, he couldn't see a wound on her that would have produced so much blood, even though he knew there was no telling _what_ the Mazoku had done to her.

She was so hysterical that he was afraid that she would pass out from lack of oxygen. She was so afraid, so hurt, and it tore at him to see her like this. Instincts to protect her rose in him, and he growled lowly as he held her close, letting her bury her face in his shoulder as he locked one arm around her waist and rose his free hand to the back of her head, cradling her close as her hot tears soaked the sleeve of his tee-shirt.

Ignoring Telca's worried questions, he tucked his chin over her right shoulder and closed his eyes, opening himself to her. The hurricane of emotions that came through their Bond sent him to his knees, the hand that had been cradling her head dropping to the roof to keep himself from collapsing completely, his breath coming in rasping gulps as he struggled to stay conscious. It was so much emotion, so much pain and horror, so much more than he had been expecting.

Pulling on his reserves of strength, he steadied himself and straightened slightly, glancing at a pale and worried Telca as she cradled an unconscoius Akhor in her arms, the bluish glow that currently envelloped the small dragon signaling that she was weaving a healing spell on him. Taking in a breath to try to steel himself a bit more, Black turned his gaze to the other male, his eyes narrowing a little when he recognised him as Eddie Brock from one of Lashana's comic books.

His voice, when he spoke, sounded like steel wool scraping over broken glass, a testament to the supreme effort he was putting forth in keeping himself from being overwhelmed by the emotions coming from his Bonded. "What the hell happened?" he rasped, gulping in great breaths of air in an attempt to clear his muddled thoughts. "I can't make sense of anything she's sending me."

Eddie swallowed and weakly leaned against the raised ledge of the roof. "We don't know all the specifics, and we won't make it through a lengthy explaination. All we know from what Akhor told us is that the Mazoku used her chaos against her in order to control her. She... changed. The demon possessed her. It was using her to fuel a spell. My other did it's best to try to free her of the Mazoku's control, but in the end, we only managed to partially reawaken her. She was trying to fight the spell when you arrived."

"Oh my God," Telca whispered, eyes widening with horror as she looked from Eddie to the elf, who was still clinging to Blackie. "But... how? She's the Chaos Knight, no Mazoku should be able to..." Her voice trailed off as a shiver travelled up her spine that had nothing to do with the weather, then cradled a whimpering Akhor in her arms and turned to look at Venom again. "Alright. You're coming back with us. We have a state of the art infirmary, and we need a more detailed version of what the hell happened. Okay?"

When he nodded, she turned and snapped her fingers, stepping back as a new portal flickered open. Black struggled to his feet, and for once, she didn't make any snarky remarks as she moved to help him, knowing that he would refuse to let go of the elf. If she had known that this mission would have been so dangerous, she never would have let Lashana go on her own. Hell, she probably wouldn't have let her go, period.

Shaking her head, she ushered Blackie through the portal, then shoved Eddie in before following, sighing when they stepped out into the crowded Main Hall, where the rest of the Harem was waiting. When Black had heard Lashana's scream, his instant panic had put the entire Palace on full alert, and she wasn't at all surprised to see that the others were waiting for them to return.

Tvashtar immediately moved forward to escort Black into the livingroom, the Guardian knowing that the Digimon wouldn't let anyone else help him deal with the elf. Not to mention that Lashana herself probably wouldn't let anyone except her adoptive-brother or her Bonded touch her.

Kadrith made a beeline straight for her, and Telca sighed heavily as she handed Akhor over to him and gave out orders, hoping that by giving the Guys things to do that it would help them work off some of their frayed nerves. Goddess knew that she wouldn't be able to calm herself until the elf became responsive again.

"Kadrith? Do me a favor and bring Eddie here down to the infirmary and tell Beast that Blackie'll probably be bringing Lashana down once he calms her down a bit more. Mewtwo, take care of Akhor and try to keep the other two away from Lashana for the moment. Kenshin, could you make some of that tea that calms Lashana down? Duncan, see if you can find a free room for Eddie once Beast gives him the all clear. Zel, you, Kang, and Malcho round up all the spellbooks regarding possession and Mazoku, I want to know how that fuckwit managed to do what he did."

She ran out of tasks that needed to be done and gave the rest of the Guys an apologetic look. "There's nothing else that needs to be done. Spread yourselves out, help out where you can. Don't just pace around the Palace getting pissed off about things that you can't change. I know it sucks, but I'm in the same boat. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw up."

_Epilogue coming soon..._


End file.
